


Taking out the Trash (FFoZ S1E10)

by J_Shute



Series: The Fantastic Foxes of Zootopia [13]
Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Action, Actual police work, Awkwardness, F/M, interogation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-12
Updated: 2019-12-10
Packaged: 2021-01-29 07:27:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 23,524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21406438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/J_Shute/pseuds/J_Shute
Summary: After finding a lead on a big case, Judy is in for a very big day. It could cause her grief, and happiness, as she deals with feelings, guilt, terrorists, interrogations, old friends and a certain fox who thinks she may be pushing it all a bit too hard.
Relationships: Judy Hopps/Nick Wilde
Series: The Fantastic Foxes of Zootopia [13]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1086153
Comments: 29
Kudos: 35





	1. Chapter 1

**FFoZ S1E10**

**Taking out the Trash.**

.

.

**Chapter 1**

**Plausible deniability**

.

.

Judy was tired. Her head was groggy and the urge to creep back into the warm embrace of her bed was stronger than Hopps family carrot moonshine, almost dragging her back into the blissful world of sleep. With a weary acceptance though, she sadly realised that that wasn’t going to happen.

There wasn’t a cruel alarm beckoning, telling her to get up for her shift, though her job would be calling for her presence soon enough. There wasn’t a scream of a nearby kit, or two rowdy neighbours backing and forthing, to keep her from rest, even though she’d left both behind. It wasn’t even an urge to use the toilet.

It was just that Judy Hopps woke up at this time, her eyelids opened by the light of the sun as it filtered through the curtains, and her stubborn body clock was loath to let her slip back into a long slumber. She was a farm girl, an early bird by heart, and nothing could change that, not then and especially not now. Even her rather small lie ins, such as those which graced her first few years of university, were a long passed memory at this stage, regardless of how early or late she went to sleep the night before.

But, while her wake up time didn’t care about when she went to bed, her temperament certainly did. Sliding out of her bed, foot paws on the floor, she gave a long yawn before looking around.

Her old room at the Grand Pangolin Arms looked positively spacious in comparison with this. Her bedroom in her new place was bigger than this too, and it took her a few seconds to realise that there was quite a bit off. She’d been in a short bed wedged between the two walls, beneath a window. The curtains and covers, the floors and walls, and pretty much everything else was just a little bit off.

It took her longer than she’d have liked to admit to remember that this was Nick’s place. It explained why she was in her casual clothes and not her nightwear.

Still, things needed to be done, she needed to get ready. There was an hour before she’d have to leave, knowing Nick’s schedule. She usually left her place after just a quarter of an hour, jogging to the precinct and showering there, before meeting up with Nick, the fox carrying some breakfast. Here, though, she could take that shower now, hopefully getting a bit of a wake up from it.

She found her work clothes roughly folded by her feet, a little note written on top.  _ ‘Got you into bed, Sleepy bun. Sweet dreams, your dumb fox.’ _

“Aaaahhhh,” she cooed, only for it to morph into a sort of yawn. Looking back down at it, she noticed that the area under the ‘your’ had been rubbed out, as if he’d written something and corrected it. “Hmmmm, you know that I could work out what it was,” she teased, smiling a little at it. “I could just… uh… um... -Carrot sticks.” 

Her brow furrowed, and she picked up her clothes and went forth into Nick’s apartment. Past the lounge and kitchen area, into the little entrance hallway, and then turning left into bathroom. Stripping off and turning the shower on, she glanced around as it warmed up, her gaze slowly resting on her reflection in the mirror. Her arms were over her body and her legs slightly crossed, trying to cover herself a little, while her ears had collapsed down the back of her head, ready to fall off were they not pinned in place. Her eyes looked the worst though, a dull red in them, while her eyelids hung low.

Not low like Nick’s were when he carried his trademark smirk, though…

There was no energy behind them, and they wavered up and down as the siren calls of the day and night drew them back and forth. It looked to Judy as if she’d been tranq’d, about to fall off to rest yet never going, instead just waiting there. Looking. Dull eyes staring out. Sleepy eyes, like another pair she knew. Hurt eyes… Betrayed eyes… Scared eyes, with everything behind them smashed into pieces and...

Judy broke it off, pushing herself into the shower and closing the door, feeling the jets of water press down into her fur. Holding the shower head below her, she forced the streams up and through her fur, letting them percolate to her skin, slowly bringing her around. The sheets of the night were pulling back, thrown off as she began rubbing herself down with Nick’s budget shampoo. After a cleansing rinse of the showerhead the suds and dirt were gone, down the drain. Paws cleared her eyes, and she savoured the beating massage of the shower on the nape of her neck before she finally broke it off.

Out of the shower.

Into the fur dryer, blasting hot air around her in a ring which she pulled up, over her head, before returning down to the floor. She was clean, she was dry, and the hard edge of her tiredness had gone.

But still she stood there.

One paw fussed the other one as she thought back. Coming up with vague ideas of new things to say, new ways to make it work out, better things to do to help that escaped mental patient. 

That had been a scary moment, and it hadn't been that long ago, but she guessed she was okay.

Yes, she was fine.

That couldn’t really be said for the one she’d managed to hurt though, who she could have done better for. It wasn’t the first time, either. First with the press conference, then this.

She could do better.

She had to do better.

She would do better!

And that meant that she was okay. She was good. She was excellent.

That honey badger might have been fearing the nighthowlers coming back, but Judy had a lead! Her hard work, her time spent, her videos watched… She had to work harder and she’d been starting with that, and it had worked! She could go in today, show off the thing she’d found, and make the world a better place! Maybe she’d even be able to try and make it up to that badger, though she doubted it. Moving to the fur dryer door, she reminded herself that she didn’t really deserve her forgiveness after what she’d done to her. She…

The jolt of the bathroom door opening caused her to freeze, and she nervously looked on as a tired looking Nick, naked bar his boxer shorts, slumped in. His mouth open in a wide vulpine yawn, he went straight for the toilet, lifting up both the lid and the seat. Judy could only retreat into a corner, suddenly wide awake but  _ really _ not liking it. She looked on, too mortified to speak, as Nick lowered his boxers and…

“AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!”

He was suddenly very awake too, just like Judy, and as equally horrified. His legs kicked out like he was in a cartoon as he tried to find traction, and he rammed himself against the wall, shielding his eyes as he looked away. “I’m-sorry-I’m-sorry-I’m…”

“Nick, it was my fault!” she blurted out, jumping out of the dryer, grabbing a towel to wrap around herself as she exited. “I forgot to lock the door, I…”

“I’m-sorry-I-didn’t-mean-to-be-a-creep…”

“It’s your bathroom. I shouldn’t be here…”

“-Please-don’t-be-mad-please...”

“It’s my fault, I’m just a dumb bunny.”

“-don’t-hate-me-please... Please don’t leave me. Please don’t leave me…”

“I don’t hate you Nick,” she urged, before being forced to take a breather. He was taking one too, and managed to glance at her, relaxing greatly as he saw that she was modest. He’d been wound up like a fleeing animal, and was still poised to run, but he managed to look at her.

Her feet, admittedly, but those were still a part of her.

“Nick,” she began, shying away a little. He was terrified, and it was her fault. She’d gone and hurt him, because she was careless, and she had to make this right. “Listen, I didn’t lock the door, I didn’t go home last night, it’s not your fault, it’s this dumb bunnies fault,” she said, before pushing forwards and holding his paw.

“I…” he began, before giving an awkward cough. “No lock…”

“Huh?”

“The door has no lock, Judy,” Nick pointed out, before relaxing. “So you’re not a dumb bunny.”

“No,” she said, sighing with relief. She even managed to smile a bit from the silliness of it all. “I’m not a dumb bunny,” she said, fudging the truth for his sake. After all, she still managed to hurt those other mammals, and Nick most of all. “I’m not mad at you either. I’ll just…”

“Leave the bathroom,” Nick suggested, tersely.

“Yup,” she replied, grabbing her clothes. She paused though, looking back at him. “But I’m not going to leave my best friend and partner, I can promise you that.” She meant it, she’d driven him away once before, and she wasn’t going to repeat the same mistake ever again.

“Why Carrots,” he said, his features softening before he slowly smirked. “I’m truly touched.”

She smiled back at him. “Well, I just wanted to make sure you’re all good.”

“Right as rain,” he replied, his signature Wilde charm returning. There was a minor pause, before he carried on. “And how’s the beautiful bunny beside me?”

“About the same as the handsome fox in front of me.”

He blinked a few times, a sly grin growing on his muzzle. “Why I’m touched,” he said, the grin growing further as Judy smiled some more. “Does a certain bunny like the look of a foxer in his boxers?” he teased.

Judy burst out laughing, doubling down again as Nick showed himself off in a few strong mammal poses. She watched him pose, and she looked on at the base of his tail as he bent over away from her, the black fabric covering his rear going tense over his body. “A certain bunny rather does,” she replied, as Nick glanced over at her. A faint look of shock seemed to flash over his face and it pulled Judy back. For a second, she saw a different set of eyes instead of his, but it and any guilt were quickly swept away.

“A certain bunny has good taste,” Nick said slyly, before pausing. “And a certain foxer in his boxers wants to just double check that a certain bunny is okay. Is she?”

Judy Hopps looked back at him, remembering the guilt she was due. The mammals she’d hurt, and the work she still needed to do to make it right. “Absolutely,” she replied, giving him a quick salute. “One-hundred percent.”

And, so, she left. She could get changed while he showered, and then maybe get him a coffee and a treat. After all, she needed to make it up to her friend after embarrassing him like that.

.

It wasn’t much later that Nick came walking back through again, returning to his bedroom to get changed. Judy looked over at him and smiled, keeping an eye on him as he sauntered across the room in his boxer shorts, his tail wagging slightly as their eyes met for a brief second or two. He gave her a wink as he retreated into his room, and she carried on getting things ready, his image still lingering in her mind.

It was probably nothing…

By the time Nick was out, two coffees were laid out, along with some bread and jam. He looked at it for a few seconds before slipping down into his chair. “I thought I was the host here,” he teased, taking a sip of his drink. He paused though as he noticed what Judy was having. “I thought you usually had tea?”

“Well today I’m having coffee.”

“Isn’t that stuff not so good for bunnies?”

“Well, it kind of is,” Judy said, as she drank a little. “But this won’t harm me, and I need a pickup.”

“Yes,” Nick noted, a dark tone entering his voice. “After last night.”

“After last night, when we found a lead!” She said excitedly. She’d been too tired to celebrate it then, but boy was she excited now. Taking her drink and some food, she couldn't help but rush over to her computer and boot it up. Long nights of sifting through, trying to find the start of the breadcrumb tail, and she’d finally done it! Checking through the timestamp she recorded, she tracked down the right time on the right camera and jumped up with joy. There it was, a little smudge flying up in the top corner of the screen, unclear and out of focus. But it was still a bat, and it was carrying something.

“Is it as glorious as you imagined?” Nick asked, slipping down beside her. Judy couldn’t help but roll her eyes at his antics, and then nod in agreement.

“Given all I need to do, it is,” she said. “We’re going to push forwards and shut these thieves down.” She made sure to take some more screenshots and timestamps, ready to take it all in. She slipped off her chair, only to pause, feeling a pair of eyes silently focussing on her. Turning around, she looked at Nick, the fox looking back with a critical eye. “What?”

“-do you mean by ‘all I need to do’?" he asked, "for that is the million buck question!”

Her mouth hung open for a second, before she shrugged it off. “It’s just I’ve got to help figure all this out and end it,” she justified, walking off. She halted though as Nick moved himself in front of her.

“Carrots,” he began, slowly. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yes, Nick…” She was. She knew what she had to do and she knew she could do it.

“Judy, are you really?”

“Yes…”

Nodding, Nick let her past thinking for a few seconds before speaking. “You know, Dr Twirly tail…”

“Is that what you call your therapist now?”

“Is Dr Amy Lupuleli’s nickname that now? Yes, yes it is. Anyway, she recently emailed me, asking if I wanted to help with a new patient. She didn’t give many details, but apparently she hero worshipped both of us after what we did in the nighthowler plot.” He held himself for a few seconds, letting it sink in. The cogs in Judy’s mind had already finished turning when he spoke again. “I’m just worried about you after what happened with that honey badger,” he said. “I know you can take down rhinos, but those mean mustelids can send them running back to their mothers like calves…” He paused, his finger up mid-lecture, before it and the rest of him slumped down. He walked up to Judy, looming over her almost like her father used to do when she was confused, upset and needing to talk, and then just like him he lowered himself down to look into her eyes. “If you need to talk…”

“I’m a bit shaken. It's still early. But I think I'm good Nick,” Judy said, before giving him a light punch on the shoulder. “Now come on, let’s go and make the world a better place!”

“There we go! Classical Carrots, and about time.”

“With standard Slick too,” she said, Nick suddenly amazed.

“Did you just do a Nick tease back at me?”

“Did I do a Nick tease back? Yes, yes I did.”

“And the apprentice becomes the master!”

“You know it,” he said, as he returned to his breakfast.

Judy nodded, before looking up to him, her ears rising up with a feeling of hope. “Did you say yes, to your therapist?” He nodded, and she felt even better. “Could I come…? -To apologise…”

She didn’t expect it to be accepted, but she had to try. If she would just be chewed out, she’d just be chewed out. She crossed her fingers as Nick swallowed his food.

“Sure,” he replied, “though Dr T-T says it’ll be a while now… -you can probably guess why, and she may not want to see us anymore.”

Her ears slipped down. “Oh…”

“But she’ll be in good paws,” he said. “I mean, Dr Tic-Tac is almost done with getting me up to an acceptable standard!”

“Almost…?” she teased.

He shrugged. “Well, I…” He paused, his mouth moving about a few times and his ears pulling back a bit. Glancing away, he shrugged. “I’ll try and have it all sorted after work,” he said with a wink, as he finished off his food and went to clean his teeth. Judy went to sort herself out too and then, with their gear in their bags, they set off together to work.

By the time they got there, it was a flurry of activity. Mammals marched to and fro, orders were being spoken out, and Clawhauser immediately called them over.

“Where’s the donut shortage, Spots?” Nick asked, walking up to him.

“It’s nothing that bad,” the cheetah urged. “In fact, it’s something good! I can’t say what, but the Chief is calling all paws on deck. He’ll be making a big announcement in the bullpen.”

“Aye-aye, captain Clawhauser,” Nick saluted, as Judy, rolling her eyes, slipped in front of him.

“Do you know where detective Dawson and Dawson are?”

“In the Chief’s office,” he replied, as Judy leapt with joy. “Yes, perfect! Thanks Ben!”

Before he could reply, off she went, leaving Nick behind. “I’ll just…” he began, pointing in her direction before heading off.

Judy, though, had already reached the office of the Chief and rapped on the door. He called in and she entered, Catano and the mice detectives waiting there for her. Papers and documents were spread out across his desk, and he looked up from them to her as Nick arrived by her side. “Chief!” They both saluted.

His face was blank for a few seconds, before a faint smile grew across his muzzle. “I should have expected you to turn up early today,” he said gruffly, pausing as he glanced at Nick. “I still expect you to turn up hours late, but there we go… At ease.”

“Now I certainly expected you to say that, Chief,” Nick replied. Dave gave a slight chuckle, though Bogo just gave the fox his ‘strike one’ look.

“Yes,” Judy began, “we came in early as we have news of vital importance.”

“-Well you can tell me about that as soon as we’ve got our briefing from the detectives,” he said, gesturing over to them. They nodded, before Basil leapt onto a large map.

“For too long, we’ve been confounded by the theft of these nighthowlers. Despite investigating the source of the theft, we have found no evidence of who took them. Why they took them? Where they went… Until now.”

Judy’s eyes widened. They’d found their own lead? She smiled, before stepping forwards. “Seems like we hit it at the same time,” she said proudly, gathering the pairs attention. “Last night I found something on the jam cams. It’s not much, but it should help set us on the path forwards.”

Basil nodded. “Fantastic work, though sadly unneeded.” He then turned back to the papers, Judy staring on blankly into the distance.

She’d just misheard that, hadn’t she? Odd…

“What I think my husband was trying to articulate,” Dave began, his paws fumbling with each other as he cautiously spoke. “Was that we took a different approach to researching this task and, while your effort is most certainly appreciated deeply… we… Well, ahem, we happen not to need it.”

“Oh,” Judy replied, still feeling a bit odd as she listened to the mice. They couldn’t have found the source this early, couldn’t they? No… Probably a false lead or not the whole thing or something. They could still use it, and her find, though, when they got on to the real deal. This was just just a preamble.

“I was struck with the task of finding out the use of these devilous plants,” Basil was elaborating, as he pulled a list out. “And I presumed the most likely use was for the howler toxin. It’s the largest threat in any case. Now, while the standard detective mind would try to look at the body of evidence, find the roots of the pyramid and build up, I realised that we could turn it on its head.” There was a pause, and a chuckle. “Though not without help from my better half.”

Davel couldn’t help but feel a bit bashful from the attention. “It was merely a comment about my experience in the medical field. It was you who pieced it together.”

“Gentlemen,” Bogo commanded, “need I remind this  _ is  _ an office environment.”

“Of course,” Basil chirped, heading back to the list. “Working with the DA, we were able to negotiate with Doug Ramses for the formula used in return for an earlier parole option.”

“Thankfully he was looking for this kind of convenient excuse to help out his friends,” Nick added, before pausing as a bunch of eyes were turned onto him. “What?” he asked, with a shrug. “We all know he’s a Bellwether crony. She promoted him over better candidates, he turned a blind eye to hate crimes during the savage scare while pursuing preds… The only reason he didn’t cut their sentences before is because he needed a valid excuse to do so.”

…

“Strike two, Wilde.”

“Anyway,” Judy said, turning back, before pausing in confusion. "That’s not the case, right?”

Bogo looked down at her sadly. “Nothing could be firmly proven, but I think most mammals in the know feel that way… Still, he only has half a year left before his term is up, and we can kick him out. Anyway, back to the topic at paw.”

“Yes, yes,” Basil began, picking up again. “Quite simply, the serum is a whole mix of chemicals, themselves a mix of chemicals. We presumed that the bad guys would cover themselves by synthesising the primary chemicals from secondary ones, actions that required certain equipment. Thus, we searched for sales of these devices, finding several on the hot list being purchased at a similar time by a couple of different license holders. Looking forwards, the same ones were purchasing various chemicals that are all linked by the list! After doing an automatic search for several of the associated vehicles, we tracked them to this site! Basic checks with the cams, and a sweep by one of our best sniffers, confirmed it! These are our guys!”

“Indeed,” Bogo replied. “We’re ready to do the raid, the force is gearing up, and we need you two ready too!” He looked down at Judy, then at Nick. “Gear up, be ready for the ship out. We’ll be hitting them hard and fast. Step to it!”

Both mammals saluted, before jogging out. Judy, integrated into TUSK due to her unique skills, would be on the front line. Facing them. Fighting them…

“Feeling ready for this, Carrots?” Nick asked.

Judy nodded. “Let’s make the world a better place.” She meant it. She really did. But she couldn’t help but shake off a feeling in her mind. This wasn’t the real deal by a long shot, was it? It wouldn’t be that easy, would it? It might be a false flag, or a front… Then they’d be back to looking, researching, trying to get these terrible mammals in as soon as possible.

Using her find as part of it. As her find was important, right? She’d spent ages and ages trying to find it, long night after long night, had she not?

And that wouldn’t have all been pointless.

It wouldn’t. It wouldn’t!

She kept telling that, as she and Nick suited up, and marched off to the briefing.

.

.

.

**AN: While the very helpful Dancou Maryuu has proofed much of this series so far, I’d also like to thank the brilliant Ubernoner for looking through this and giving me a few pointers. The good people at the Zootopian Author’s association also gave a helping hand.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Righteous anger**

.

.

A convoy of battleship grey ZPD SWAT trucks raced along the roads out of Savannah Central, hammering down on their target. The officers had already been briefed; they knew their goal, and they knew the plan. Judy felt nervous. She wasn't sure if it was their main bad guys who they'd be facing or not, but, either way, the ZPD was pulling out all the stops for whatever was in there.

.

_ "We've tracked the site down to a set of old warehouses on the southwest coast of the Rainforest District," Chief Bogo had explained, pointing at the pictures they had of it. "Our first mission is to collaborate with Precinct 4 to establish a rough perimeter, away from their view. If anyone tries to escape, P4 will be there to catch them. First, though, we clear the area of any civilians present. Understood?" _

_ "Sir-yes-sir!" _

_ . _

Judy felt the truck grind to a halt, the jolt throwing her and the others around in their seats. She looked over her SWAT gear, a slightly more armoured version of her usual uniform, before glancing over at Nick. He was fidgeting with his helmet, being dressed in heavier combat gear. So was Catano, and most of the other forces, with the megafauna contingents having full on steel plating, shining in the glint of the sun. Grabbing their riot shields, they marched out the back and lined up like a legion of old. Standard officers from Precinct Four were already running about, pulling civilians away as fast as they could.

Judy heard a light pitter-patter as she felt warm water rain down on her; the sprinklers above them were on and misting down, the assembled forces wiping their visors and shivering slightly. The wind was coming from the direction of their target, from the sea, and a salty tang mixed in with the refreshing dampness of the rain.

Judy's ears rose as she heard a retching, while Nick's nose twinged slightly at an acrid smell. Looking over, they saw Catano throwing up onto the floor. Her ears down, her paw wiping her mouth, she looked down at Judy. "Don't judge."

"I'll reserve that for your Furballs," Nick joked, sending a wave of relief cutting through the tension. They were pulled back into shape though by the marching of hooves.

Bogo, racing in front of them, pulled his visor down and called out. "Standby! Attack planned in ten minutes! First antidote!"

The forces nodded, before pulling out their autoinjectors and pushing them into their wrists.

_ . _

_ "With the high likelihood of refined Howler toxin being present, we have to be prepared," Bogo instructed, bringing out an injector. "One shot can counteract one pellet, while taking the edge off others. We can safely dose you up with one beforehand, though there's a small risk of adverse reactions. If you feel yourself getting hit after and approaching the edge, you can safely administer up to two more." _

_ . _

"Hopps, Wilde," the Chief ordered, waving them on. Marching with him, they cut through the roads, passing warehouses as they closed in to the site in question. The last of Precinct 4 was getting out, the last civilians being brought out with them.

"Chief Bogo! Chief Bogo!"

He halted, pausing as he spotted an elephant officer marching up to him, something curled up under his trunk. As he set it down, the trio all double took what it was.

It was a young vixen in a wheelchair, looking a bit shocked by it all.

"She says she saw stuff going on there," he said.

Bogo nodded, looking down. "Name?"

"L-Lydia Fox," she stuttered. "I came down here to birdwatch, and… well, I saw them stacking crates on the south side. By that red crane…"

Glancing down to Judy, the Chief nodded. "Take note," he said, before looking back at the elephant. "Get her out of here and get her statement."

Nodding, the elephant nodded, just as an antelope officer arrived. "Chief Bogo!"

Bogo looked at him, before slapping his own visor. Another fox, this one seemingly a blind beggar, was being escorted up to him.

"He says he could smell howlers wafting over. From near the chimney."

The cape buffalo snorted. "Just get them away, I don't think we'll need his input."

Nodding, the officers took the foxes away, even as he began to protest. "I'm only legally blind, if that's why you're ignoring me… I can make out the chimney…"

The cape buffalo disregarded him, before looking down to Wilde. "Get to your position," he ordered, before looking at Judy. "With me."

They took off together, the pieces slowly being laid out for the start of the game.

.

_ Our site is built on an r-shaped quay, and holds an assortment of different buildings," the Chief had instructed. "Coming from the land side, up the vertical part of the 'r', there’s a roadway on our right paw side and a mix of abandoned brick buildings, all connected together, on the left, including an old office tower." There was a pause, as everyone else took it in. "This one is codenamed 'T'", the Chief informed them as he went on. "Due to the lines of buildings on the waterfront, it doesn't give us the best view, but it's still of critical importance. The other tall points are a small red crane, 'SC' on the top left of the 'r', and a much bigger dock crane, 'BC', and chimney on the top right. Both likely to be under their command." _

_ There was a pause, as Nick raised his paw. "Are there any other vantage points?" _

_ "There's an abandoned cement kiln to the bottom right. It's further away, having many of the same limitations, but it's better than nothing. You'll be giving overwatch there while Officer Hopps scouts out the site." _

_ . _

Back against a wall, Bogo peered out. He could see the site in front of him, the various cranes, towers and buildings all arranged clearly. Most of the brickwork was patchy. Most of the windows were broken. Vines and trees clung on wherever they could, eating it all as they tried to consume it, seemingly hiding whatever was inside as they did so. The sound of marching came from behind him and, checking, he saw his backup preparing. Most of his officers were there, Catano included, though he sighed as he saw Wolfard begin to waver. Paws on his head, he wobbled about as he struggled with a migraine, the most common side effect of pre-doping with the formula. Radio out, he spoke in. "Wolfard, bad luck I'm afraid. Get to one of the Buses…"

He took a few seconds to register it, before looking up. "Thanks… Sir…" he moaned, before stumbling off and to the back. Clicking his radio over, Bogo spoke in. "Wilde?"

"In position," he said, hiding behind a panel on top of the nearby factory. He could see the rooves laid out, nice and empty. "Permission to toss the bun granted."

Were it not for the fact that he secretly needed that icebreaker, Bogo would have called strike three on Wilde. Instead, he let down his right hoof and let Judy climb onto it. Bogo then pulled his arm back, down over his shoulder and almost to the floor as his smallest officer wound up her legs. He then twisted his body and punched the arm out and forwards, Judy kicking herself off of it and out into the air.

She flew fast and true, thanks to both her strong lower legs and the chief's well honed shot-put throw, and swept over the nearest parapet. As she felt gravity pull back down on her, she curled into a ball before rolling onto the flat roof. As soon as her roll ended, she sprang to her feet, scanning her surroundings in case someone had heard her. Then, she scampered to the short wall and checked her gear, paws on her tranq guns. Heart beating, she began crawling forward, updating Bogo on her progress as she went.

Occasionally having to jump up and down where there was a slight change in roof lines, she quickly reached tower 'T' and brought out an army knife, using the screwdriver to undo a small vent.

She scanned with her ears, finding nothing near, before slipping in.

Tender pawed, her ears scanning around, she honed in on two ragged breaths below her and approached. Gingerly, step after step, she advanced, before pausing as she saw them. Two goats, both hugging the wall by the door and ready to defend. A quick look around showed no military-grade weapons, thankfully, but there were off market taser rifles and molotov cocktails.

Her dart gun came out, and both goats were swiftly rendered unconscious. "Tower 'T' clear," she relayed. "Two targets down, armed with non-lethals but with dangerous improv weapons." She paused, looking at them. "They were gearing up to defend the position sir," she said, as she came in closer. A chill ran down her as she saw some symbols, known to be used by Prey supremacists, and she felt the grip on her radio tighten. They'd been gearing up to fight her fellow officers,happy to burn them, and why? Because they still hated preds… They still wanted to use the howlers… They just wanted to repeat the past, the plans, the schemes that she'd stopped.

"Hopps?"

"Permission to move on?" she asked coldly.

"Permission granted."

Teeth gritted, she raced back up the stairs, back onto the roof, and onwards.

.

" _ The northern waterfront is a mix of buildings," the Chief instructed. "Above tower 'T' we have a small courtyard with buildings opening onto it, with the tower providing strategic cover. Above them, on the other side, is the quayside, with small crane 'SC'. These buildings form the leftmost end of a continuous set, which runs along the entire horizontal part of the r, cutting off the northern quay. To their right is a large warehouse, providing a clear route from the shoreside to the quay. To the right, we have another courtyard, but on the quayside, with taller buildings opening onto it from the left and below. Big crane 'BC' is in the centre of this courtyard, and to its right there's another major warehouse, with the chimney in the far corner. Hopps will be scouting out to identify major areas of potential resistance. Wilde will cover." _

_ . _

_ " _ It's clear," Nick called, Judy taking it as her moment to advance. Racing across a mass of pipes, Judy reached the northern line of buildings, taking cover under a rusting water tank and scanning around with her ears.

The noise of the rainforest district, and the steady beat of her heart, were ringing out.

**Bu-Dum… Bu-Dum…**

A murmur of noises and shouts sailed across, almost carried by the wind. Her ears snapping into position, her nose twitching, she advanced tenderly. The main warehouse had a sloped roof with massive skylights, many long since cracked or shattered, the remainder stained and dusty.

**Bu-Dum… Bu-Dum…**

The voices got louder, and she picked up calls and shouts, orders and screams. Finding a place to peer over, she looked in, spotting prey mammals. All of them prey mammals, most of them the size of sheeps or goats, all of them rallying around a massive wildebeest, promising that they'd get to face off against pred scum and species traitors. That this would be a glorious battle. That the ZPD would pay for capturing Dawn Bellwether. That they'd become the true predators.

It felt like a gut punch to Judy, and she glared at them from up high, like she was watching bugs. "Sir," she whispered into the radio. "There's a large force assembling in the left warehouse. Prey supremacists. They know we're here."

**Bu-Dum… Bu-Dum…**

How… How could mammals like this still be here? After everything that had happened, after all they'd been through, how had they not learnt anything? They wanted to ruin lives; they belonged in a cell. Judy found herself reaching for her weapon. She could easily get a few from here were she given permission, though she knew to keep herself hidden until told not too.

"Hopps," Bogo called. "Scout the rest of the buildings and then get out of there!"

**Bu-Dum… Bu-Dum…**

"Can you repeat that, Sir?"

"They know we're here," he said. Back where he stood, he was clutching his head, his teeth grinding from the unexpected thorn in the side of the operation. This would usually be a disaster. Each of these missions hinged on the element of surprise, hung on the need to take on an enemy who didn't know they were coming. Shock and awe them before they had even a moment's chance to get ready, hitting them on the back paw and knocking them down.

They knew he was coming though, so he wasn't going to play their game. "A day, a week, a month," he said. "We lay siege to them and starve them out. They're not going anywhere."

Indeed, a frontal attack now would be crazy. They didn't have the right gear or set up. At least not enough for him to order it in good faith.

Up on the roof, Judy nodded. Her heart still beat madly.

**Bu-Dum… Bu-Dum…**

She moved away and slipped down the roof. "Understood, sir," she said, feeling a hint of relief. They wouldn't get their satisfaction. They wouldn't be the martyrs they wanted to be. They'd sit here and get starved out.

"See anything Nick?"

"Negatory, the buildings are blocking the quay. I can nab any escaping boats though."

"Okay, just keep an eye out for anything."

"Will do!" he said, as Judy charged forwards. Racing across and over the warehouse, she passed beneath the shadow of the larger crane, a massive thing painted marine grey and speckled with rust. Below were other mammals getting ready. Judy paused as she saw some of them taking carts filled with barrels into the final warehouse, the one with the chimney. Racing over, vaulting over walls, climbing up pipes and sliding through gaps, she found a worn plastic vent in a wall and tore it out. Looking in, she gasped. At the base of a chimney was a furnace, and in it they were piling up wood, fuel and night howlers. Not just the plants, but vats full of purple chemicals, which were handled tenderly before being thrown on.

This must have been the real deal then. This must have been what they were planning all along! They'd found them, and now they were planning to go out in a blaze of terrible glory. Judy relayed what she saw out to Bogo, fear and fury rising in her voice. She was ordered to go back to the warehouse with the gantry crane and give them an overview.

Outside, Bogo looked on gravely. The other officers could tell. A slight tremble in his paw, he held his radio up. "Clawhauser. Order the climate works to turn the rain on in the rainforest! We might have a cloud of howler gas and who knows what waft in there, so this could stop it."

Hearing an affirmative from him, Bogo grabbed his shield and marched out in front of his troops. By all rights he shouldn't be doing this. A full frontal attack against an enemy waiting for them would need far more resources before he'd usually sign it off. But they were forcing his paw here. The gas might turn half the district savage or be harmless but they didn't have the time to find out. They had to attack now, to serve and protect.

"OFFICERS!!!! The mammals in there are about to try and gas us. Gas civilians. They're willing to stand by as they cause death." His nostrils flared, and he raised his shield high. "LET'S TELL THEM WHAT WE THINK OF THAT!!!!"

A chorus of screams came out and Bogo faced his foes. His feet poised, he held his shield up and gave the inside a few hard beats, an act followed by the rest of his troops as they got into position. They lined up behind him, and he felt a red rage in him as he and the others beat their shields once more. The deep bass ringing sounded out, and he knew from experience that every mammal facing him would be having second thoughts. Intimidation may be for riot control, not Swat raids like this, but they'd escalated this to war.

They knew the ZPD were here, they were ready for this fight, and Bogo was going to make them regret that. His forces began charging forwards, shields in a line, weapons at the ready, as a ragtag bunch of defenders came out to meet them.

"Hold the plan off till we get them!" He ordered, looking forwards and smiling. This was all too easy.

.

_ "We'll be splitting into two," Bogo said, gesturing to the building plans. "I'll lead group A into the buildings here and tower 'T', putting us in a position to cover the western courtyard and the entry and exit to the quayside. Team B, led by McHorn, will strike into this warehouse here in a tortuga formation. The front lines will be armed with megafauna with shields and stun sticks. Their job is to knock the enemies out and pass them back to the rear-guard, smaller mammals armed with cuffs and tranqs who will then neutralise them. _

_ . _

The goats and sheep had barely lined up and formed a mob when the surging wall of plastic shields came down on them hard. A few mammals at the back managed to throw molotovs, or shoot forwards with an off market tranq, tazer or an air rifle. They bounced harmlessly off of Bogo's shield, the cape buffalo raising his up to catch a firebomb before snapping it down, ready to make contact. With a crunch, the first few lines of enemies were forced into each other, pushed off their feet and crushed into their comrades. As the megafauna forces momentum was burned out Bogo then tipped his shield down, folding them over and exposing them to his stun stick. Those not totally dazed immediately suddenly were left stuck on the ground before being stepped over. Holding a tazer, one of the sheep stuck on the top of the pile turned and aimed it at Bogo's calf. He could hit the hamstring or Achilles heel, then…

A heavy hit knocked the weapon out of his paws, and he was forced down as a cheetah cuffed him.

Breathing heavily, Catano pulled him back before dealing with the next two.

There was no time to read them their rights, that would come later. Instead she pushed forwards, ready to see Bogo facing off against an angry zebra. Unlike the others, he seemed to be more of a threat, but the chief pushed forwards and down, diving his shield beneath him. Cutting into his legs, he drove forwards and up, tearing the mammal off the floor and throwing him over his shoulder. He landed on his head and sprawled onto the floor, where Catano quickly tranqed him and cuffed him with zip ties. He still writhed though, but it was dying away as the drugs got to work.

Catano wanted to keep an eye on him, only for a strange whistling sound to distract her. There was a yell, one of the leading hippos screaming as a rod of rebar cut into his arm, before the sound of a shattering shield came from the other side of the formation. A similar iron rod had pierced through the shield of a rhino, though his steel plating thankfully bent it away from his heart.

"Top right!" Bogo called, and she turned to see some mammals leaning out of a window overlooking the quay. They were holding improvised weapons, already reloading them. As they aimed their weapons and she hers, the roar of an engine beckoned through the air, a frantic call coming over the radio.

"They're pulling out a truck!" Judy cried from her vantage point. "I repeat, they're pulling out a truck!"

Staring forwards, Catano felt a sudden dreadful calm as the thing lumbered out of the large warehouse and began racing forwards.

And then she heard the gunshot.

.

_ "What is it, Wolfard?" Bogo looked at the wolf, one of his best trackers, not sure what he had failed to cover. He thought he had hit everything. _

_ "Are we only going up against these guys with Tranq's?" _

_ Bogo blinked a few times. "Like we usually do, yes. Now do you want to ask me something else, like should you wash your paws after using the toilet?" _

_ "He has a point," another officer said. "These might be the same guys who supported Bellwether. They might be far worse than our usual lot. They might have lethals. Shouldn't we have lethals?" _

_ Bogo paused, thinking. "Firstly, cases of lethals in the city remain very low, black market non-lethals or improvised weapons such as harpoons or crossbows are far more likely. As for us using lethals, that would require clearance from the mayor. Regardless, as well as your standard issue weapons, you'll be armed with tranq-blanks, as is standard for such operations as these." _

_ "But they're still only tranq's," one of the officers said. A general murmur of agreement rang out, and Bogo pulled out a magazine and one of the weapons in question to show them. "Rubber bullet with an inbuilt tranq needle. The impact causes enough pain to incapacitate until the drugs take over. Fired from a high velocity gun like a sniper and at a small enough mammal, they can be decidedly lethal." _

_ He paused, looking at them all. _

_ "May I ask how many of you have been shot by these? Paws up." _

_ He raised his hoof, as did a few other mammals. _

_ "Paws down if you don't think they're sufficient." _

_ They all remained up. _

_ . _

She flinched as the window of the truck shattered, before another shot rang out. The vehicle's gears crunched before the engine calmed down, the whole thing coasting along until Francine and Trunkaby met it with their two shoulders. The two Elephants groaned and strained but brought it to a halt, before one of them tore off the door and hauled out the driver, the mammal having been caught in the middle of a gear change. Catano sighed with relief, only for her ears to rise with the sound of Francine's scream. A spear of metal had caught her shoulder, but she'd survive.

That didn't matter to the cheetah though. She brought out her handgun, loaded with the special rounds, and fired it at the exposed mammals. With most of the knocked out mammals cuffed, plenty of other smaller mammals joined her, the walls around the attackers were spitting and sparking as their rounds hit. They got two of the mammals, but she was certain another one had been able to get to cover.

A loud bang rang out, signalling that he'd been taken care of. Out came her radio, Catano smiling as she called in.

"Good job, Wilde!"

"As always," he replied, giving her a sly little salute from afar.

She rolled her eyes, before turning to Bogo as he called out. "Restart the original plan. Form your teams."

He waved his crew off to take tower 'T', while she and their others formed their Tortuga formation. Riot shields around and above her and the other smaller mammals, they marched into the large warehouse. Through the cracks and corners, she could see bits and pieces of the structure, pausing as she saw Judy up above. She had to move on though, keeping up with the advance.

On the roof, the bunny watched them push forwards. Alongside the alcove the truck had come from, there were one or two small ones just like it, plus a few staff areas. All had quickly been checked and cleared, the whole force pushing beneath the warehouse's gantry crane and out the other side. A few runners checked the buildings to their left, but none had any exits onto the quay, so they were all clear for an advance towards the large crane, the chimney and the fire.

Judy bent over, taking a breather.

They'd crushed them.

Bogo had secured the landside buildings and tower 'T', she could see a few snipers get up it already. They just had to get to the bonfire and halt it.

She heard a slight tick, her blood running cold.

Two sharp bangs rang out and the whole building shook, almost sending her to her feet while a cloud of dust erupted up around her.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!?" Bogo screamed as Judy raced toward the cloud. Looking into the warehouse, she gulped, spotting the gantry crane collapsed on the floor. Two small charges had blasted it from its rails and sent it tumbling down in front of the quayside exit.

The second squad was stuck there and as a set of scream rang out she raced forward to see a well armoured set of larger mammals race out. Darts and bullets simply impacted the thick metal plated clothing that they wore and they pushed forward regardless, tossing molotovs and wielding long sharpenned bits of scaffold in front of them.

It had been a trap.

All of it.

They'd lured them in and caught them here, making them think it was a won battle while luring them into a corner.

There was nothing the ZPD forces could do but retreat, taking step after step back. They'd go back until they reached the small crane and were then thrown into the water.

Judy's blood ran cold, before it lit like a fire. This wasn't going to save them! They'd still be trapped. They had no hope, no chance, but they were happy to try and lure and kill her friends!

She pulled out her radio, but backed off as she heard the chaotic chatter coming out of it.

Instead, she grabbed her dart gun, raced over to above them, and looked down. She saw a good sized gap in one of the attackers pieces of armour and fired, hitting it dead on. He stumbled and fell and she aimed again. It was a lost battle though, they were forcing the cops back…

And then her phone rang.

More specifically, it rung with the tone reserved for Bogo. Pulling back and down, she answered.

"What's going on!?"

She quickly recounted everything that had happened, the Chief quiet throughout.

"How long do we have left?"

She looked over, they were close to the edge.

"Less than a minute, they…"

"-Are they past the yellow brick building?" he asked.

She blinked a bit, not sure what this was about, before she quickly answered. "Yes."

"Right," he said briefly, before cutting off. On the other side, he was rallying his forces, an odd and terrible sense of calm hanging over him. He'd ordered his mammals to charge in, he didn't regret it. They had to stop those howlers getting burned, the risk that they might be dangerous was too great to even risk the delay from conforming if they truly were. But he was still the one who let his mammals go in, he was still the one who put them in peril, and if that was the case he'd damn well be the one to get them out.

He gathered his forces, marching into an empty shell of a building, the last bits of yellow paint flaking off of its concrete frame. Ahead of them was a breezeblock wall, sealing them off from the quayside.

He turned back, racing away, before joining the rest of his larger officers. Together, they put their hands on the truck and charged, pushing it backwards faster and faster, before thrusting the trailer hitch through the base of the wall, shattering it. The whole thing began to crack and tumble, before the back of the cab swept it away regardless.

He looked back to the rest of his forces and charged through the breach.

.

Catano was scared. They were cut off, they were being forced back. It wouldn't be long now before they were in the water, sitting ducks.

And then she flinched down as a wall behind the enemies exploded, the front cab of a truck raced out in reverse before crashing and sinking into the deep water. The attackers distracted, she and the others retreated slightly, falling back and letting those at the front reform their shield wall. Bogo's forces crashed into the rear of the enemies before they could turn around and started pushing them forwards, while those in front of her were already keeping them from advancing.

Up above, Judy saw the vice like grip close, and the bad guys get the squeeze. Already some were stumbling out and crashing into the water, and she felt herself cheer as they clawed back victory.

Then a gunshot came, and she flinched as she saw one of the hippos fall, clutching his leg. Turning up, she gasped as she saw a sheep up on the big crane, her trembling paw grabbing her sidearm as she looked at him. No… He wasn't going to do this. They weren't going to win! She didn't have much of a chance at hitting him, but she could make him scared, emptying her non-lethal rounds against his lethal ones as she scurried over to the nearest wall, sheltering behind it as he shot back. She couldn't help but  _ eeep  _ a little, tensing up, but keeping control of herself she grabbed her radio. "Sniper on Big crane! Sniper on Big crane!"

"Got him in my…" one of the snipers on 'T' was responding, only to be cut off by another shot at her position

"CARROTS!!!!"

"I'm fine Nick," she panted, flinching as a shot was fired from 'T' and up at the crane. She couldn't look but she could hear, and she heard him curse before the echoing sound of hoofbeats on metal rang out. He was trying to find a place where the sniper on 'T' couldn't reach him.

From afar, Nick smiled as he landed in a place where he could. The shot was tricky though, really not helped by the mist from the rainforest sprinklers. The target was blurry through his sight, and he tried to take his time, making sure to line up the shot.

Only the sheep raised his gun, ready to fire again, forcing Nick to go first.

The sheep flinched, hard, and Nick held his breath thinking he'd got it, only to freeze as the mammal recovered. He'd clipped his side. Painful, for sure, but the tranq didn't go in. Now the sniper was hunting for him too.

Nick made sure to hide himself even further behind the metal sheet that was covering him, trying to line up again as the sheep moved about.

Into a position where Nick couldn't see him, but where he could see the troops on the ground.

"Judy?" he asked, his throat feeling like it was being strangled with worry. He didn't want to risk this, he really didn't, but…

If there was any mammal that he could bet on getting out of this alive, it was her.

"Yes Nick?"

"Make him do the funny dance," he ordered.

Back under her cover, Judy nodded. "Yes Slick!" Up she hopped, firing a few more rounds off, right at the sniper. Nick watched him jump up and fired, the predatory grin on his face getting wiped out as the sheep turned, the fox's bullet ricocheting off his gun. "Dammit!" He hissed, lining up the next shot as the mammal fled. Fled from him, fled from Judy, finding a spot and turning to face him and…

The sheep jolted, gripping his arm, his face writhing with pain as he slumped down, the drowsiness beginning to take him.

"Thanks for flushing him out Carrots and Slick," the sniper from 'T' chirped.

"Our pleasure," Nick began happily, only for that expression to melt from his face.

Radio off, his ears drooped. "They know I call her Carrots," he said. There was a pause, before he shook it off. "I can spin this!" He said, his voice only betraying a slight bit of worry.

Back on the roof though, Judy was racing forward. "If you ever need any help, Carrots and Slick are the ones to call!" she chirped, before reaching the edge of the roof and peering over. The criminals had been defeated; they were on the ground or in the water while Bogo had rallied the rest of his forces into a hard packed shield wall that was advancing fast. They'd soon break into the courtyard, ready to break over to the chimney and furnace.

They'd done it. They'd won! The bad guys were spent! Gone! Defeated! They were…

Her train of thought was cut off as a roar bellowed out and, looking down, she saw the massive wildebeest she'd seen early marching forwards, anger in his eyes. He wasn't rallying weak troops anymore, he was wrapped up in thick armour, and held military grade weapons in his paws. He was going to lose to the ZPD, but make them pay for it. Shaking, gritting her teeth, she looked down and saw a small chink in his armor; a small gap at the back of his head, the skin showing. It was far too thin to be sure of hitting it with a dart, so she'd get up and personal. Tearing them out of her reserve dart gun, she stared at him as he raised his weapon, ready to kill. "Oh no you don't," she screamed, leaping into the air. She sailed down fast, screaming as she went and with darts in her paws, swooping down his back, planting them into position, before landing on the floor.

She touched down, taking a breather, as he collapsed to his knees in front of her. The forces were marching past to seal the win.

It was over.

Now they had won.


	3. Chapter 3

**Faustian bargains.**

.

.

"Kazar Longhorn?"

There was a long silence, the wildebeest staying his tongue as Detective Oates stared him down. The mammal who'd led his own army against the ZPD just stood there, stewing in his defeat or simmering with rage.

From behind the two-way mirror, Judy and the rest of her cohort looked on.

It had been a long day for them, with both the raid on the mammals' compound and dealing with all those caught. With most still lingering in custody, the Chief wanted to strike on their leader while the iron was still white hot.

So there he sat, chained and cuffed, the great cape buffalo and his officers looking on in anticipation, invisible to him.

…

"That is my name," he said.

Simmering anger, most definitely.

Across from him, Oates nodded and carried on. "Multiple priors for small petty crime, with one small sentence served. Noted for activity in street gangs, and a loud voice calling for formations of vigilante groups during the nighthowler crisis. Led protests before and after Bellwether's fall, claiming that it was a pred conspiracy that framed her. Continued campaigning after her fall, though things petered out. Quiet for the last year, though I do believe that we found out what you were working on during that time."

"Objection." It was his lawyer speaking out, a bespectacled gemsbok who seemed even more inexpressive than his client had been. "I don't see what my client's past life has to do with this. He…"

From behind the window, the group of mammals looked on. Nick and Judy, Catano and Basil, and Bogo at the back. The bunny looked up at her partner. "Any idea what that lawyer is feeling?" she asked. She knew that he had to act in his client's best interests, but still…

"Oh, that's the 'I shoud’ve been an accountant' look if I've ever seen it," Nick replied.

"Good," Catano piped up. "If more mammals could see him for what he is…" She trailed off, implying her statement, just as the charges proper were read out.

"-Breaking of firearm laws, attempted murder of police officers, terrorism, multiple violations of the nighthowler act." The horse pause and stood up, looming over his prey. While not especially involved in the case, he was a talented interviewer, and his size meant he could play a bad cop to their beast of a perp. "If you were trying to be worse than Dawn Bellwether…"

He glanced away, and Oates pounced.

"Oh, is that anger? Admiration? Guilt…"

Kazar turned forwards, his teeth grinding, his chest rising and falling with deep breath after deep breath…

And he turned to his lawyer.

On the other side there was a creak as Bogo walked up, glancing down at Basil. "Nothing yet."

"Indeed, indeed," the mouse mused. "Shall we try the good cop now?"

"Think it'll do anything?"

"He's a mammal backed into a corner! Defeated! No reason to talk with us. But give him a sliver of hope, the chance of being free again in the future, and we might just crack him!"

Kazar and his lawyer finished talking, both turning to Oates. "My client's political leanings are his personal business, and even if true I'd rather you don't imply things from them…"

Snorting with derision, the great horse gave the suspect an excrement eating grin. "Firstly, I'm going to imply what I like…"

The crew behind the mirror looked on as he gave his verbal lashing, eyes and ears pricked for anything. At least until Catano spoke, looking down at Basil.

"He doesn't deserve it."

Basil paused, looking up at her. "I presume that's in regard to a plea deal, or so forth."

She nodded, before speaking frankly, turning back to look at him. "His paws were dirty. Filthy… Only a fool would deny it. He shouldn't get any mercy for what he did, what he wanted to do…" She trailed off, her face hardening. "If you're in with bad stuff, you should be called out on it all and given the full force of the law." She paused, her tail flicking this way and that a little. "At least Oates is giving him every ounce of painful honesty he deserves in the meantime."

"You are a crook and a monster," Oates tiraded on, spittle flowing from his mouth as he shouted. "Supporting hatred against preds even after the truth about the savage crisis was revealed…"

"Understandable, emotional," Basil said, holding his finger up to the big cat as he explained. "But there's always the bigger picture!"

"-and when you were surrounded, you chose to try to murder members of the ZPD in a bloody last stand, all while trying to poison our city. Fun thing though, while we had many injuries there were no casualties. You offered a tough drill for us, nothing more. Even your nighthowler gas was a failure. Had the heat got up, it would break apart the chemicals that caused the effect."

"Well," Bogo commented, "we'll know for next time." A call to the city lab had cleared that up, much to his relief. He'd not had the time to risk contacting them before the raid, having to charge in. But he knew for next time, and felt better about today.

The fact that none of his officers really suffered helped. Had he lost any of them because of his 'wrong' call…

Well, he didn't like to think much about that.

He did have feelings though. "I know the practicalities," he said, glancing down at Basil, before looking over at Catano. "But I want the whole library thrown at him."

Nick smiled. "I may have a good supply of extra bricks that you could sneak into there while throwing."

"-And you will rot in jail forever. The most secure cell, the strictest routine, the harshest environment." There was a pause from Oates, a well manufactured sadistic smile growing on his face. "Of course, with so many very aggressive mammals there, all with nothing to lose and a hatred of anyone involved with the purple stuff?" The horse trailed off, relaxing back in a smile that Nick would give eleven smugs out of ten.

"Right," Basil said, pouncing to their shared microphone. "Enter the good cop."

There was a slight cough to Oates' left as Dave Dawson spoke out. "I do believe though that there might be a little chance for us to work together. You might be feeling worried now, what with all that's going on and never being free again… But! With a little help in finding out who was helping you, and…"

"-If I did this, who says I needed help?" Kazar asked, leaning forwards.

Back in the observation room, everyone was on tenterhooks. "He's prideful," Judy stated. "I think…"

"Excellent observation, Fluff," Nick teased.

"But we can use that? Can't we? Or will it make it harder?"

"Whatever, whatever, we'll push through!" Basil said.

"Well," Dave calmly explained. "You'd need an intelligent mammal to help you find the right formula, to set up the manufacturing machines, to help organise the complex logistics of gathering the plants themselves…"

"Or I might have done that myself," he said with a shrug. "I am not to be underestimated."

"But presuming you did have help… A supplier, a sympathiser, maybe a secret assistant on the old howler plot. If you were to lead us to them, we could happily take years off your sentence. Down from life to thirty to forty years, maybe less!"

"Speak for yourself," Catano muttered. Judy noticed Bogo looking at her with sympathy, while Basil snapped back to her.

"Punishment isn't the aim of this. If we can get the truth, that's far more important," he said proudly, as Kazar waved off Dave's offer. The mouse on their side of the glass spotted it, but returned to the cheetah. "Once he's caught like this, he's out of the game whatever happens, but if there's still mammals like him out there…" He paused, before grabbing the microphone again. "Try leading with how the original plotters are doing in jail?"

Judy couldn't help but recognise Dave's eyeroll as the same one her father gave on the many occasions where her mother reminded him of something that he'd said he'd do but not gotten around to yet. The mouse shook it off though and looked forward with the exact homely look that had won him the title of 'good cop' for this interview in the first place.

"-If there's more like him out there," Basil continued, returning to Catano. "Then I'm more than happy to extend an olive branch to find them!"

She nodded. "I get that," she sighed. "But bad or disgusting mammals like that should be given the full works. I just want justice."

"And I want the truth," the mouse replied.

"Well," Judy said, her fists clenching. "I want both, and if we work hard enough, we can get them."

There was a chuckle from Nick, as he looked at her. "Well, we have a Judy, so we've got a good shot at it."

She nodded, before pausing. "And you? What do you want?"

He shook his head. "It's not about what we want, it's about what we get," he said, turning back to the interview, Dave talking on.

"They're often in isolation, you know, given so many mammals in there who want to end them. You may be able to defend yourself now, but what about your twilight years? If you help us, you might be able to enjoy them free and in peace, rather than having to look over your shoulder everywhere you go."

…

A dark look graced his face, one of his ears flickering, before he spoke.

"May I ask when we can get on to discussing important things, like my bail?"

Behind the glass both Catano and Judy's mouths dropped to the floor in shock.

"Seriously!?" the cheetah gasped, as Judy shook her head to regain her senses.

And her professionalism.

"If he thinks he's getting bail, then he should  _ really _ check his charges."

"Seriously!?" Catano gasped again. "He… He… -Seriously!"

"Super seriously," Nick added, a slight simmer to his voice as he looked on. The others joined in, as Oates loomed over him.

"Ignoring the mob you led, the obvious flight risk you present, your attempted murder of a bunch of officers with  _ highly _ illegal firearms, let us look at your holding of illegal refined nighthowlers. Now, are you aware of the nighthowler act?"

…

"No."

"Then let me educate you," Oates scolded. "After the first crisis, and with the reasonable expectation that natural howlers would still be in use as pest control, it was decided to clamp down on anyone caught with refined ones." He paused, giving the prisoner a dark look. "After all, their only real use is as bioweapons. So, if one was to be found with some, it's safe to assume that you're a bioterrorist."

The lawyer coughed and spoke up. "May I remind you that my client is to be considered innocent until proven guilty, and is deserving of due process as a right."

"Indeed," Oates noted. "But under the act we get to hold him for four weeks until having to formally press charges, due to his connection to the refined plants. Then, we have the right to hold you without bail until your trial, up to six months. While this is going on, we are instructed to hold you in the securest facilities. Aka, a full on maximum security prison, the type where your little sheep friends are  _ not _ having a good time."

…

Kazar was silent. Inside the observation room the various mammals looked at each other.

"I mean, it’s not like he was going to get bail anyway," Judy said.

"I can only think of one sort of mammal with a greater flight risk than him," Nick chimed in.

"Which is?" Basil asked, curious.

Nick let a proud little victory smile grow over his muzzle as he looked down at the mouse. "It's quite elementary, my dear… -Bats."

A collection of groans made their way around the room, as Judy lightly punched Nick in the shoulder.

"Ouch. Fox abuse."

She smiled at him, before glancing back into the room. Kazar had chosen to be silent, and was keeping his lips tight. "I mean, he'd definitely try and run. Maybe we could offer him bail if he helps, but make sure to track him after?"

Catano's face lit up. "So we get him slammed up for the rest of his life, and get the truth!" She looked down at Basil as she said the last bit, before looking at the bunny.

"Brilliant!" she said, "Well done!"

A happy smile escaped her professional demeanour, flashing over her muzzle before she got it back under control. She was a professional police officer after all (but she did feel damn good!). Her arms crossed, she looked on proudly. "Well I said we can get both!"

"Indeed," Bogo said, "if he plays ball. We'd also have to check with the DA, just to confirm we can pull this hustle. His, ' _ alleged', _ sympathies aside, I'm pretty certain he'd allow us to do this despite the Nighthowler act. Indeed, for our perp, its tough rules could act as an extra motive.

The bunny smiled. "I happen to quite like this law," she said as they turned forwards. Basil instructed Dave, who laid out the offer…

…

And got nothing.

Basil then asked about a few more things, such as where he’d got the guns from. They’d noticed that many of them had a section angle grinded off, as if to remove something from it. Could it be related to the dealer? A signature or symbol he put on what he sold?

Again, nothing.

"Or he stays silent," Bogo groaned, "which makes everything much harder."

"Okay," Judy said. "But we have to be able to make him speak. But how, what with, there has to be something we can say. There's always a way…"

"Or we could gauge his reactions to certain things," Basil chimed up. "Read his body, not his words, and we could get a good deal of information despite his silent demeanour."

Nick nodded. "Shall we compare notes?"

Basil looked at him competitively, eager to get his own back for earlier. "Well there's the slight tic's whenever…"

"-We mention the original plot," Nick finished off.

Paws on his suit, the mouse detective stood up taller, more cocksure. "The sign of irritance at their capture…"

"-Or treatment, showing he…"

"-Really quite admires them to some degree!" The mouse finished off. He walked over to the window and stared at him. "If we rub it in so much, he might start lashing out, or at least react in ways that we can infer info from." He paused, thinking. "We just need someone or something that can be indescribably irritating, bonus points if it's specific to him…"

He thought for a second, before being broken off by Nick. "Yooo-hooo!" Turning, he saw both Nick and Judy with crap eating grins plastered on their faces, waving at him.

"Kazar," he said, looking back in. "You, my not so good sir, are totally, royally and utterly screwed!"

.

He stayed silent as the pair sauntered in, replacing the two detectives who they'd been dealing with previously. Nick in particular flaunted in, languishing on his chair and shooting the prisoner a long look. "Bad day, huh?"

He remained silent.

"You know, it's been a while since I had to deal with the nighthowler plot," Judy said, keeping tough and professional throughout it all. Nick couldn't help but notice that she was wearing her 'no more bullcrap' face. "I never wanted to deal with that kind of thing in the first place," she said, sighing. She took a breath in, rubbing the base of one of her ears and biting her bottom lip slightly, before carrying on. "I mean, I wanted to be a police officer, doing good, doing right, ever since I was a child. I'm happy to go all the way, give it my all, to do that, wherever it leads. I'm proud that I solved the first crisis, and tranq'd you to end number two…"

He took a deep breath in, his eyes widening, and both saw him shudder up.

"Ah, I see you don't like that," Nick said, before pointing his thumb at Judy. "I mean, she's no ordinary bunny," he said, before leaning forwards, staring up into his eyes. "But, she's still a bunny! And she beat you. She done beat you good."

He shuddered some more, to the point where his lawyer put a steadying paw on his shoulder. "Is there any reason for this?" he asked.

"Well," Judy said, looking at him. "I just want to inform your client that his horrible idea of prey supremacy, an idea I never wished to deal with or even imagined I'd deal with, is dead. Officer Wilde and I helped bring his idols like Dawn Bellwether to justice; now it’s his turn. We've captured his base. His supplies are gone. His acomplices are either on the run or behind bars. I'm also wondering… -do you have any words for our ex-mayor?"

He closed his eyes, breathing in and out, before Nick spoke. "I mean, you two might be good penpals. Backing and forthing, venting over how you were both thwarted by a little bunny and a dirty dangerous fox."

His lips were moving, one going the other, which then slipped out and went on top again. Nick gave Judy a look. Their suspect was heating up under there.

"Anyway," Judy almost announced. "We just wanted to say hi."

"And point out how dumb your plan is!" Nick cheerily added. "I mean protecting prey by turning poor preds like me into savages. You know, your brain has to be pretty inferior to…"

He was cut off by a slam of hooves on the desk, before Kazar let out a deep chuckle. His lawyer moved in to warn him, to stay him, but the massive mammal turned to him and shook his head, the lawyer backing off.

More out of apathy than fear, Nick believed.

"Do you know what I think of Dawn Smellwether and her weak flock?" he asked, smiling slightly. "They were weak. Pathetic. Terrible little excuses for mammals, just like you two."

The pair were taken aback slightly, but Nick felt his teeth grit and pounced. "Oh yeah, and what are you, blockhead? You have even less excuse to be scared of us mammals so much smaller than you!"

"Pah, you think I'm scared," he countered. "No, I just look down on them like the other weak prey. Prey who like to run around in mindless flocks, pushing papers, or doing things for their security. All not seeing the truer things that there are."

"What?" Judy asked confused. "Fear? Power?"

"Yes…" He hissed. "Power. Dawn might have pulled those many little strings, but she wasn't a real mammal. She didn't wish to fight, or take a place at the top of the food chain." He paused, looking down on them like bugs. "Mammals were born in this world, to fight over it. To claim it as their own. The preds used force in the savages ages, and kept their place, even as prey upstarts wormed their way in, like a fig wasp entering the fruit to die!" He paused, huffing. "Those weasels in the howler plot used trickery to try and take the top of the chain. Not like the force that the real mammals who deserve it use!"

.

…

Nick looked to Judy, and Judy to Nick. "Yet," she began, "you still despise preds."

"Oh, you have to say things to get your supporters," he said, shrugging. "Surely you know that life's a scrabble, a war, and if a potential enemy is there, lying on its back, then there's no better time to go in for the kill! Those dimwitted idealogues would follow me anywhere. They deserved to be used and then thrown aside when no longer needed. I assure you I had dealings with preds too, in private of course. Good preds. Powerful ones. Dangerous ones."

"I might agree with you there, Blockhead," Nick said. "Bar the whole craziness thing. I mean woosh, first a mad Honey Badger and now you. We just can't catch a break, can we Fluff?"

Judy felt odd, winded slightly, as he finished, but she shook it off and pushed through, smiling. "Yet you're as much a pathetic, crazy, nasty mammal as Bellwether and her cronies ever were."

"No," he hissed. "I'm above them, above the smaller preds, above the megafauna and the apex predators. I am Kazar! I am the top of the food chain! It is my rightful place there, above this weak city, watching as it tears itself apart and smiling!!!"

There was a pause, the massive mammal smiling as he looked between the two officers. Nick couldn't help but look at the lawyer, who seemed not to care anymore, before looking back at Kazar.

"I'd just like you to know that,' he said.

Nick paused, before speaking. "So what, the howlers were a weapon? You use them to cause chaos, riots and such, while you take control of the city or whatever? Becoming the king of ashes."

…

He was silent, once more.

"You are a terrible mammal, you know that!" Judy scolded. "I mean… -You're crazy! Do you really think you could lead a mob and just, 'take' this city?

…

He was silent again.

The pair tried other questions or jibes or statements. Nothing worked, he was like a statue.

And, so, they left the room.

"Well," Nick said. "He's a well adjusted mammal."

Slumping forwards, Judy snorted, before shaking her head. "That's… -He's not as insidious as Dawn was," she said, mumbling off a bit at the end. "But that's about all he has going for him."

Nick nodded, as the pair went back into the observation room. The others were there, waiting for them. Catano spoke first.

"Is he trying for an insanity plea? He better not be!"

"I don't think it'd work," Bogo reassured her. "Either way, he'll be going away forever."

"Good," she replied, the various other mammals chiming in.

"So," Judy said, finding a chair and sitting down, slipping back in it as the tension wrapped around her blissfully released. "It's over. The howlers have been found…"

"He may have stockpiles somewhere," Bogo said, "but the threat has been neutralized — that’s the main thing." There was even a faint smile from him. "We can tell the city. I'm sure that the public will find it easier to sleep at night now."

"Of course," Dave warned, "we still haven't found his chemist. If it was a prey supremacist, then they might try this whole palava again. They might have another facility!"

"The same could be said after the first plot," Bogo reasoned. "But we have his army, we have a good number of his howlers. We'll always have to remain vigilant, but I think the threat is nicely reduced."

"But still," Basil spoke up. "If we could get him to…"

"We won't be able to," Catano said, "even if we offer him things he really doesn't deserve."

…

"Unless," Basil mused, "-of course!"

"What?" Judy asked.

"Think of it this way, a prideful mammal like him. Getting someone on board to do the most important task in his plan. It'll be someone he trusts, someone he respects, someone far removed from the first plot. He spoke up as we were linking him with mammals he looks down on. So, what happens if we imply he's with some made up mammal far, far below that?"

Nick smiled. "You get him to boast about the truth!"

"We get a lead," Judy added.

"And all without selling out," Catano finished off.

Bogo looked at them and nodded, before pausing as his pager went off. "I need to go, but you lot can work something out," he said, before glancing at their captive. "I order you to make sure his gears are thoroughly grinded."

"Yes sir," they all saluted, before getting to work.

…

Soon they had a made up file for a made up chemist. They chose the thinnest, scraggliest, most pathetic looking sheep that they could (in reality it was a reference picture for some random schmuck called Remmy Cormo that had been gathering dust) and slapped on some weak qualifications from some poor universities. They gave him a weak, cowardly backstory, and presented him as an assistant to Doug Ramses.

The one that got away.

They looked on as Oates and Dave carried on, Kazar almost immediately laughing at it.

In the observation room, everyone held their breath. Had he seen through it, would he just stonewall them again?

"You really think that I'd follow such a snot-nosed, cowardly, pathetic, weakling excuse for a mammal like this?"

"He said follow, not work with," Basil whispered into his microphone, Dave nodding as he heard it. He stayed his ground though, mindful not to make Kazar aware of what they'd picked up.

"No," he hissed. "The one I work under, the one who leads me… Who raised me and my crusade from nothing..." He paused, before smiling an evil smile. "He speaks with ever such subtlety, but with charisma in his voice. Like a curved knife, sharpened to perfection, he can pull you on. You… You do not know what a real leader is. One who men, women and children will lay their lives down for. One who they can trust. One who can inspire such loyalty, wherever he goes, however much mammals try to defeat him." There was a pause. "When I first swore to him, he was returning from his greatest fall, with just a small bunch of followers. But I… I was in a gang that had once followed him. Who knew him for who he was. He came up to us, we with orders to end him, and he told his men to put down their weapons and let himself stand in front. Where he would be torn apart in seconds! And he smiled to his foes, and told all who wished to strike him down that there he stood. Not one of us did. That there was a leader, and we joined to his side, usurped those embarrassments we'd previously slaved under, and marched forwards."

…

"And here you are," Dave said.

Kazar shrugged, smiling a wicked smile as he traced his hoof across his mouth. Oates tried to talk to him after, but it was hopeless. He was silent.

Outside, Judy tapped her foot heavily on the floor, thinking. "Who is this mammal? What kind of one could inspire him? How dangerous is he?" She then looked up at Nick, who almost immediately acted in faux outraged.

"The notion that I'd know who this mammal is. I'm wounded, Fluff."

She smiled back. "So, you admit you don't know everyone?" She teased, causing his eyes to widen. He turned to Catano.

"I've officially been bamboozled by a bunny. How can I show my face in public again?"

The cheetah rolled her eyes and smiled, before leaving. Oates and Dave were exiting the interview room, the latter most likely in need of a ride. Just Nick, Judy and Basil were left in the room, the fox speaking out.

"For real though, I don't think that kind of thing happens in real life. I think he was lying. Either he’s trying to scare us, or he’s hamming it up for an insanity plea."

"Or he’s trying to put us on the wrong trail," Judy mused, thinking. "But what if he wasn't? What if he was telling the truth? Or exaggerating it? This mammal does sound like he's a big threat, if he's really out there. I mean, he could have a majority of the nighthowlers produced."

Nick's ears lowered slightly, and he scratched the back of his head. Judy couldn't help but feel a guilty twinge at the sight. "Well, I hear the press is happy to say that the threat is gone. I guess mammals can sleep safe in their beds for a little bit at least."

Judy nodded, finding a fiery new resolve. They could make this right. She could make it right. "Even if he doesn't exist, there are probably those out there just as bad."

"Are there mammals out there who are nonetheless equally mean as our new dishonored guest?" Nick agreed. "Yes, yes there are."

"But we can beat them," she said. "Isn't that right Basil?"

...

Both the bunny and the fox turned to the mouse detective, only to pause as he just stood there. Rather than his usual exuberance, he was subdued. Thoughtful. Holding back. Nervous, even?

"Earth to Basil," Nick spoke, shaking him out of it.

"Ah, sorry, sorry," he said. "Just contemplating."

The fox nodded back in response, though he kept his eyes on the rodents lowered tail and ears. "About?"

He fumbled for a bit. "-About what you were saying, about mammals like the one you and he described…"

…

"You knew someone like that, didn't you?" Nick spoke.

The words echoed around the room, as Judy gazed down at the detective. "You do? Who was he? Is he still a threat, is he…?"

"He was the most inscrutable villain I have ever faced," Basil stated, looking up at them boldly. "A monster, a narcissist, one with no moral code, who would disgust many but inspire a few completely." His voice hung in the air, and he shook his head. "But it has been a long time since he last fled. I'm hoping my mind is just going to dark places here. In any case, he may be none the less equally mean, but I don't see Kazar bowing to a villain so… well, for a start, short."

The group was silent for a second or two, before Basil shook his head. "Either way, there is no evidence to link him to this. All we found was the link to Kazar's base of operations."

…

"And the thing Judy found," Nick said. Basil looked up curiously, while she jolted into action.

"Of course, I forgot…"

"Forgot what?" The mouse asked.

"When I came in this morning, I'd found something on the jam cams. It looked like a bat."

"A bat!?" he exclaimed. "What, where, when, how?"

"You forgot the why," Nick said. "Anyway, we can give you the timestamp. Let you look over it."

"That…" he began, before pausing. His ears went down, and his voice grew more tense. "That would certainly be useful."

The sound of the door opening rang out, and he turned to face it, expecting to see Dave and give him the news.

Instead, Bogo entered, and he looked at Judy, none too pleased. "Hopps, it is never a good sign when a bunch of polar bear mobsters enter the precinct and ask to see you."

"Huh?" She asked.

"Especially when led by a member of a well-known crime family." He paused. "A Mrs Fru-Fru Big wishes to see you. Apparently, it's urgent."

Judy paused, confused, turning to the others. Nick nodded, he'd help Basil out. Seeing that, Judy left, wondering what on earth all this was about.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chronic depression.**

**.**

**AN: Welcome back. Just an fyi, seeing as it’s that time of year again I’ve resumed my ‘Christmas Carols’ oneshot series, featuring various Zoot one-shots based off of popular Christmas songs.**

.

It was odd to see so many polar bears, so many mammals that she knew had a connection to crime, standing in the lobby of the ZPD. The whole air frazzled with a nervous tension as she walked towards them.

The entire force was exhausted after their previous victory, and everything else that followed. They were tired but alert, weary but filled with a fiery resolve, and now, one army defeated, another seemed to stand in their home, just flaunting themselves in front of them. The ZPD forces were uncomfortable, on a hair’s trigger, while the polar bears seemed none too comfortable themselves.

Judy wasn’t either.

The Chief and a few others knew of her connection, they’d told her that there was nothing against her relationship with Fru-Fru Big, but it meant that she had a personal stake in anything to do with them and couldn’t be allowed to investigate anything to do with her father’s empire. That had seemed fair.

But, walking out towards them, the crime bears faces all turning to her and visibly relaxing, Judy began to feel just a bit more self conscious. After all, all her friends and workmates would be looking down on this scene, and they’d be able to see what was happening.

They were going to ask questions, weren’t they? Or, worse than that, not ask them. After all, if they asked questions then she could reply, she could make them understand. Instead, though, they might remain silent and just judge her, maybe without her even knowing it. Without her ever getting a chance to set things straight, to put things right…

The thought made her ears droop down slightly, though the perky voice calling out did help them spring up a bit.

“Joo-dee! Gawsh, what’s the matter?”

“Hi Fru-Fru,” she said, feeling happy again to see her friend. Seeing her little goddaughter in the shrew’s paws helped even further, and she had a stupid grin on her face as she saw the tiny little shrewlet wave back at her. “Eh-Oh!”

That felt better, and it was concreted as Fru-Fru spoke out to the crowd. “Joo-dee here saved me from a giant donut a few years ago! So I decided to be her friend after that.”

Looking around, the bunny saw a ton of the officers looking at her curiously, nodding their heads, or guffawing. She could hear one or two joking about ‘the crazy things that bunny gets caught up in…’

There was no outright condemnation or distrust though, which was the main thing. “Thanks for that,” she said, turning back forwards. “Anyway, why are you here?”

There was a pause as a frown appeared on the shrew’s face. She sighed, and looked down. “I guess you haven’t heard.”

“About what?”

“Daddy’s in a lot of trouble,” she said, before glancing up at Kozlov, the great bear carrying her. “Let’s find somewhere more private,” she said, before motioning him on. Judy followed, unable to help but see the tired looks on many of the bears faces. Exhausted looks. Worried looks. Fearful looks. None more so than Kozlov himself, who not only looked exhausted, but terribly haggard. He glanced around here and there, while keeping the two shrews close to his heart.

Out they went, into the plaza outside the Precinct, before they rounded the corner and arrived at a nearby cafe. There were plenty of spare seats, and the bears colonised an entire corner, drinks being ordered as Judy and Fru-Fru sat down across from one another.

The little mammal stood there, looking up at Judy and smiling, only for that smile to waver and crack. Holding onto her daughter, she ran forwards, right into Judy’s paw as the bunny went to comfort her. “What’s the matter?”

“It’s… It’s Daddy!” she whined, clutching on tight. Little Judy was crying too now, trying to ask what was wrong, and her mother tried to spare her time between her daughter and her friend. 

Judy did her best, biting her lip as she tried to figure out what to say and what to do, the bunny holding herself there as the shrews worked it out of their system.

She wanted to say that it would all be okay, it would all be fine, but how could she? If Mr Big was finally in trouble with the law, she couldn’t really say that it was a bad thing. Heck, she still didn’t really know what had happened. In any case, despite the help he’d given, she couldn’t help but feel no sympathy for Mr Big. He was a mob boss, she was a cop. He’d tried to execute her, and her best friend, and had almost certainly followed through with other mammals.

That, though, didn’t mean she felt no sympathy for his daughter and granddaughter. She’d been clean, she’d planned to go into fashion and had been doing so, leaving the Big’s crime enterprises behind her the second she could disband them. She hadn’t asked for this life, and for her father’s business, but she loved him like anyone would their father, and now she might be losing him. She was crying out in pain, and Judy felt it spread to her too. She ignored her tea when it came, staying by the tiny mammal’s side, until, finally, they were ready.

Both sides settled down, took a few sips of their drink and helped themselves to some biscuits that had been brought out, before Fru-Fru spoke, looking down as she did so.

“Not that long ago, his Limo service got an inspection from the ZRCS. An accountancy firm who handles it discovered ‘big tax irregularities’. Some of the workers passed this on to some investigators, and they came in to check everything out.” She paused, rapping her fingers on her small cup, as she took in a shuddering breath and carried on. “Then… There… They looked at our bank accounts and invoices, and found the payments back to Daddy’s main accounts. They looked at them next, and found all the little bits of evidence here and there. Lots of little leads. The Tundratown ZPD then got involved, and…”

Fru Fru choked out a sob, and Judy spoke for her. “You don’t have to go on,” she said, sadly knowing what would have happened next. Mr Big like to keep himself clean, certainly, but she guessed that if you looked hard enough you’d find the evidence. The tax report opened a divot, which was widened into a crack with the investigation at the limo service, then a hole when it moved onto his accounts. Now, the ZPD had marched through that hole and torn out everything inside, the whole edifice above crumbling and caving in on itself.

And here, out of the rubble, covered in the dust of misery and fear, were those who were left.

“They have him on a lot of business things,” she said, hoarsely. “And linked it to some violent stuff, some of the icings as well…” Her voice trailed off. “He’s on bail now, but he’ll go to jail. He ain’t gonna come out again…”

Sniffing some more, Fru Fru saw Judy’s paw, outstretched, and ran into it, clutching it again. The bunny was silent though.

A terrible mammal was finally going to face justice.

But he still had loved ones. Ones who’d miss him.

“Is there any way to help?” she asked, eventually.

Fru Fru shook her head. “I… I got accountants who’ll sort out the legitimate stuff.” She choked a little, an odd bitter mirth entering her voice. “From what I gather, the limo service will be fine after this. Other legit parts too. With that, and my inheritance, we won’t be left wanting. Though…”

“Though?”

Fru-Fru silently looked up at the bears around her. “I can keep a few, transfer some more where I can… But I’ll have to drop most of ‘em. These are just the inner guard too,” she sighed. “There are many more workers and helpers. All loyal, all good… All now unemployed.”

_ ‘Unemployed crooks’,  _ a small part of her thought, but it was smothered by Judy’s worry for them. How many of Mr. Big’s employees had actually broken the law? And even for those who had, how many families were depending on them? How much further might they fall trying to make ends meet? Did they really deserve this?

“I just don’t understand though…” Fru Fru muttered, shaking her head a little.

“Don’t understand what?”

“Daddy always said he kept his taxes in order,” she explained. “I mean, when we learned about what you did to hustle Nick, he made it a point!”

Judy paused in thought. After the whole nighthowler business, she’d helped the fox find a tax lawyer and set up a repayment plan. Given how much he traded in goods, services, favours and cash, there wasn’t that much that could be tracked down or proven. He had a cheap flat, and a good bunch of savings which took a nasty dent, but he was clear now.

Mr Big, though…

“He still says he did!” Fru-Fru sobbed, before kicking out. “Just can’t admit he was wrong.”

“Like Nick and his rug,” Judy said, smiling a little as she saw Fru-Fru’s mood lift ever so slightly. On asking about the infamous skunk butt rug, it turned out that Nick had been swindled on that one and hadn’t known about it. Before presenting it, one or two of Big’s attendants had queried him about it, suspecting it, and he’d acted all proud about his ware’s, confident that he wouldn’t have made a mistake.

Had he looked it up then, or they hadn’t of suspected it and him denied it, then the old boss might have taken the error far more lightly than he had done.

Then again, it was now in with the new boss. Not the same as the old one.

A sad silence filled the air, as Fru-Fru took a breath in and out. “Thanks for… Thanks for just listening to me.”

She smiled, though she didn’t feel happy. “If you ever need someone to do that, I’ll be the best listening you can get,” she said, pointing at her ears.

Fru-Fru laughed, even little Judy squealing a little. That seemed to make it all a little bit better. They talked a little more, about more friendly stuff, trying to make things lighter. In the end, though, time was running out. They had places to go. Judy had to get back to work. Life would go on.

Kozlov coughed slightly, jerking Fru-Fru to attention. “Oh, right… Joo-Dee, Kozlov wants to talk to you, a little.”

Pausing, the bunny looked up at the massive polar bear. His face looked worn out, old, sagging and forlorn as he nodded and stood up, Judy following him out. “I first came to Zootopia thirty year ago,” he said, slowly. “Big Family took me in. Took many of my country mammals in.” He paused, mincing the words in his mouth. “I guess many now go home. Most want to stay though.”

“Couldn’t you find jobs here?” she asked. They were outside, in a small alcove, and he turned to face her, one of his eyebrows raised critically.

“We were all mammals only trained to cause fear and pain,” he said, painfully and wearily, a hint of shame in his voice. “First to protect the state, but then state die. Then we protect the family that took us in. Family now dead… I tried to protect many others too in my life…" He trailed off, shamefully looking away as his paws trembled. "I do not think anyone failed as hard as Kozlov."

Judy looked at him, before stepping forwards and placing a paw on his. "I wouldn't be so sure," she said. "I've had some pretty major failures too.."

He looked up at her, raising an eyebrow. "Even now, I fail to protect my bears. A few get to stay on. Most others…”

He paused, trailing off.

“I’m sorry it was that way,” she said.

“Do not be sorry, not for me,” he said. He glanced away shamefully. “I am not deserving of apology.”

…

“Will you be helping the others, return home?” she asked.

He nodded. “I will try. Depends on where home was. In the north, I hear they need gas and oil workers. Same in the east. The east is good, the last twenty years wonderful for it, like a terrible shroud lifted. I hear a good few want to return there, I will help.”

Judy nodded, before pausing. “Where did you come from?”

He smiled a little. “My family came from Lemmingrad,” he said, smiling a little. “Papa and Mama sent there after war to help with rebuilding. But I move from there early. I was sent around and around. Zootopia is only city I’d call home. Same for most of my mammals. Most of them were born here, after all. I guess now they become poor here...”

…

Judy was silent, what words could be said?

“But that is not why I call you here,” he spoke, his words carrying an air of caution. He looked around and knelt down. “I have sudden business to attend to in old country. To meet with old friend,” he said. “Need to be gone for small time.”

“So you want me to make sure that Fru-Fru is safe?”

He smiled. “You would keep her safe anyway, you are good mammal.” He then sighed, before his paw went into his suit. Out came a small necklace, a small crystal-like metal pendant, coppery in colour but fused with dark spots, hanging off of it. Judy couldn’t help but notice the odd divot and bump in it, as if someone had tried to chisel into it. “Is old family heirloom,” he spoke. “With worry about attack on Big’s, and long journey there and back, want you to look after it. Demon bunny can hold her own, yes?”

Judy laughed, before looking up and smiling. “Of course,” she said, taking it off of him. “I’ll keep it safe.”

“Very safe,” he said, before looking up. “Need to return now. Family to protect, flight to catch tomorrow.”

“Back home to Russia,” she said, “to see old family.”

“To Ewekraine,” he clarified. “To see old comrade.”

Judy nodded, before pausing. “Aren’t parts of there…”

“Dangerous? Yes,” he said, as they walked back. “But old friend lives in far north, away from fighting. Nice town called Slavulpinch. He moved there to help out those who live there. Same reason I go there now, to help. Same reason I stay with Fru-Fru. To help. Least I can do.”

“You’re a good mammal,” she said.

“No,” he said with a dark inflection, his voice picking up a little as they re-entered the cafe. “Am not. We simply try to repay great debt that never can be.” He looked at her, then back at Fru-Fru. “Look after her,” he said. “I fear that wider things are playing with her, she at their mercy. Kozlov knows what that is like.”

Not sure what to say, she nodded and entered back in. A few words were exchanged, goodbyes were sent, and both mammals went their own ways.

Slowly walking back into the precinct, she sat down on a chair, slumping over. Her head slid down into her paws, which covered her eyes as her ears fell down in front of her.

She felt tired, she felt sad.

She knew…

She knew that bad mammals had friends, had families, had those who cared for them and looked after them, and who would miss them when they were taken away. She knew that Big, whatever way she looked at it, was a bad mammal. Him being taken away was one big positive for Zootopia, no matter what he’d done to help her in the past. No matter how much he’d helped her, helped the city in the nighthowler crisis… It was part of the job, and things  _ would _ be getting better. They would be...

But… But she was sad. Sad for his daughter, granddaughter, for his polar bears. She was sad for him. A little part of her brain put its little paw up, and smugly pointed out that he had once tried to kill her… But for some dumb reason the rest of her mind didn’t really care.

The world was, on paper, a better place now. Some other mammals had seen to it, with their diligence and intelligence, and nobody was hurt or injured.

But it didn’t feel like that.

Which was bad, as surely there would be a way to do that? Surely, somehow, they could have worked out a way to have a happy ending for everyone? Save the city, save the family. But that hadn’t happened, she’d been busy with her own thing, and the painful way out had snapped into operation without her. It didn’t even need her to pull the trigger, to do the breaking of the heart, to be the one who…

“Fluff?”

She looked up, spotting Nick next to her. He was looking over her with sympathy and bent over, putting a paw on her back.

“You good?”

She smiled. “Yeah, I’m…”

She was cut off by a finger on her mouth, as Nick looked down sceptically. “I’m not even the detective here, and I can tell that you’re fibbing.”

Paw away, she glanced at the floor, her nose twitching a few times before she spoke out. “My ears were droopy, weren’t they?” she asked, glancing down at the tips of those big tattletails.

“That was one of many clues, yes,” he teased. “All painting a clear picture of an upset bun-bun…”

She snapped to him, her nose twitching a few times, before she settled down. Tired, with one big glomp, she let her head drop down into his chest, and he responded by rubbing his paw down the back of her head. “There, there, so emotional. Now, it’s been a big day for both of us, so what’s the matter?”

“Mr Big got caught out on tax issues, everyone just dug further, and he’s probably going to go to jail and never come out.”

“Did she say Mr Big?” a voice piped up. Basil. “As in the infamous Tundratown mobster?”

“I think so yes, it certainly lines up with her story. He’s been noted to be in a fair bit of tax trouble, for sure.” Dave replied.

“And so the interesting question is how she knows him and why it’s so upsetting?”

Judy just listened on and groaned. Of course they’d be with Nick and, looking up, she saw them in his shirt pocket. She’d just been too preoccupied with herself to notice. “I knew his daughter first, I saved her from a runaway giant donut — long story. I didn’t know her dad was a crime boss until later.”

The two mice glanced at each other and nodded. “I guess you’re upset for her sake, then,” Dave said, his voice tinged with concern.

Nodding her head, Judy stood up. “She’s losing her father, and found out he lied to her too. It’s rough…”

“Lied to her?” Basil asked. “Did she not even know what he was. What he was up to? That would certainly explain a lot of the pain and such.”

“The poor girl must be distraught then,” his husband finished.

Judy shook her head. “She was aware, planning to legitimise when she inherited it all. It’s that he said he had all the taxes in good order. It turned out one of his businesses hadn’t and that’s how they got in.”

Nick winced. “Rough. I mean, unlike lazy past me, I’d have thought he’d of been dotting all the i’s and crossing the t’s.”

“She thought he was, turns out he wasn’t,” she said. “That, and the fact that he keeps on telling her that he did keep them in order.”

Nick snorted, before glancing down. “Sorry, mild schadenfreude there. Seems like mama karma came back to him on that one.”

“And what long story is behind that, then?” Basil enquired. Nick looked down at him and groaned, while Judy had her own enjoyable moment. Soon enough though the skunk butt rug affair was explained, alongside with their complete past with Big, much to the interest of the mice detectives.

“Well,” Dave summarised. “I can most certainly say that that was certainly… something.”

“Of course, this final end to his chapter should be a splendid bit of good luck for you two, drawing a final line on all that murky stuff in the past,” Basil explained. “Out with the old, never to chain you down again.”

“I certainly hope so,” a new voice spoke up, the group turning to see Catano walking over to them. She paused, looking at Nick and Judy, concerned more than anything. But, looking down, Nick saw her tail ever so slightly fuzzed up. She paused, sighing. “I know it was a dumb bit of luck and all,” she began, pausing as the words hung on the edge of her tongue. “But I was expecting better from you,” she said, before sighing.

“Kii?” Judy spoke up, walking forwards.

“You two are still my friends,” the cheetah spoke austerely, “but I might need some time to process this.”

Judy blinked a few times, before looking away. “I’ll do my best to rebuild your trust.”

Catano held back a bit. “Thanks Judy,” she said, before looking at the two mice. “Want a ride back?”

They agreed, and Nick handed them to her as she spoke. “At least you should be clear now. I’m guessing you being friends with the daughter is fine if she is clean.”

Judy nodded, before pausing. “It should be… But her chief polar bear did ask me to for a little favour.”

“Huh?” Catano asked, glancing at her, her eyes narrowing. The bunny brought out the necklace, much to her confusion.

“‘Family heirloom’,” she explained. “The bear wanted me to look after it while he went travelling. Said he had to do business or such, meeting an old friend who lives in the Ewekraine, in Slavulpinch. He might be trying to find jobs for all the other polar bears, given that they’re out of a job now.”

Nicked scoffed a little. “Best of luck to him, though he’s got his luck cut out. They’re not exactly traditionally employable…”

“It surely can’t be that bad,” Basil asked, as Nick’s eyes narrowed.

“One CV I proofed for them was headed, and I quote,  _ ‘Va-Va-Vasily, Volegograd’s greatest ‘Vove’ machine’ _ .”

“Maybe it is that bad,” he muttered.

“Yup,” Nick nodded. “The chances are, whoever replaces Big will take them on.”

Judy deflated some more from this. There wasn’t even a silver lining. She looked around, seeing Nick’s pessimistic resignation to the fact, Catano’s irritation at it, and the mice’s sudden energy, Basil in particularly twitching around in thought.

The gears had turned all around them without her noticing, moving on, and she felt oddly helpless. Oddly useless.

“It’s time to go,” Nick said, sitting up.

“Cool,” she replied.

The fox paused, looking at her. “I showed your little recording, you did find something.”

“You certainly did,” Basil replied. “Thank you very much, it might prove very useful.”

“Incredibly so,” Dave chipped in.

That felt a bit better, and Judy looked up and took a breath in. She still felt a bit sad, it had been a crazy day. “Thanks,” she said. “I guess I’ll head home now.”

They all nodded and began going their ways, and as she stepped out into the open air she took a breath in. She felt… Unsure of herself. Unsure of her footing.

“Hey, Carrots?”

Turning back to Nick, she smiled. “Yes.”

The fox paused. “You seem a bit off today.”

“It’s been a bit crazy,” she replied.

Nick paused, taking a deep breath in, before smiling. “Then how about you come back to my place and relax. Work through all these things.”

That sounded good. That sounded great. And Judy nodded, and they head off together, paw in paw. Today had been crazy so far, and, while she always enjoyed staying with Nick, in this moment there was nothing else she’d ever want more than it.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: So, we’re at the end of this episode, and the first arc of season 1 for that matter. This whole episode was probably my least ‘inspired’ to write, given that it came about primarily to move a lot of characters to where they needed to be and to introduce certain important things. However, it also had some very fun scenes to write. This whole series is going to have a kind of empire strikes back like pacing to it, (you’ve already had the action packed main battle), but I’m looking forward to sharing what comes in act 2 and, eventually, act 3.  
.  
Not to get ahead of my horses though, as there’s one last chapter left here. One I think you’ll all enjoy.  
.  
.

**General acceptance.**

.

It wasn’t that far back to his apartment, a few stops on the subway and then a decent walk. Just far enough out of the way for the steepness to go out of the prices as Nick put it. The Zootopian planning system was pretty open and that meant that, for smaller mammals at least, housing was cheap. Many mammals lived in ‘pods’, placed on the roofs of larger buildings, or in little climber towers that rose up in alcoves of older buildings. It wasn’t too uncommon for a larger mammal to find a tower built in the space between two of their windows, taking over a small planting area on the ground floor or something.

Nick’s place was like that. A small-ish nook between the corners of two larger buildings that had been filled in, two apartments on each floor serviced by a shared lift and staircase. In they hopped and up they went, the ride seeming to take a rather long time, the bunny feeling tired on her feet as they rose. Finally reaching their floor, Nick let her in and she stepped inside, yawning as she went. It had been a long day, with a short night before, and all the little cheques to tiredness that she’d written were being cashed in. Through the little lobby she went, past the bathroom where they’d had the embarrassing moment this morning…

This morning…?

It felt so much longer ago than that. Judy couldn’t really believe it, she couldn’t really believe much of what had happened this day. She’d been embarrassed, excited, gutted, thrown into the heart of an enemy base where she became enraged, faced off against one of the nastiest mammals she’d ever faced, felt sympathy for the daughter of someone who was technically right up there with him…

“Nick,” she said, softly. She’d settled herself down on his sofa, hoping to maybe watch some Pawflix, but not really caring about what was going to be put on. Right now, she was just looking at the black TV screen, her eyes feeling a bit droopy, and she couldn’t summon a reason to change that.

She paused. Had he heard her?

“Nick,” she said again, before some clattering came out from behind her. Standing up, peeking up over the back of the sofa, she saw Nick bringing something out of his freezer. “Ice cream?” she asked, confused.

He raised a finger. “Prescription ice cream.”

Good old irritating Nick. “I don’t think there’s such a thing,” she sassed back.

“Well, it’s ice cream,” he began, as he scooped out a helping of blueberry, placing it in a bowl already containing a vanilla and strawberry one. “And I’m prescribing it to you.” He then brought out a tub of special carrot cake ice cream and put a scoop into another waiting bowl, the vanilla and strawberry already there. “Which makes it prescription ice cream.”

“Thanks Nick,” she said, before shaking her head. “Though I don’t know why I need it…”

“-Oh dear,” he deadpanned. “That calls for wafers, whipped cream and either raspberry of chocolate sauce. Which one do you prefer?”

She giggled. “Calm down there Nick, it’s fine…”

“In that case you’re getting both,” he stated firmly, before burrowing into his cupboard. “And a flake too!”

Getting the memo, Judy watched on his he worked his way with his frozen treats. Whipped cream was sprayed, the flakes went in, the sauces went on, spoons were prepped, and, with a proud little flair, Nick settled down next to her, handing her treat over.”

“Thanks Nick.”

“Always my pleasure.”

She nodded, before taking a nice spoonful, savouring the flavours. She couldn’t help but have a little though spring into her mind, immediately chuckling at it.

“What?” Nick asked.

“Frozen treats have always been your thing,” she jibed.

“A rather ice speciality, if you ask me,” he replied, getting a groan in response. “Always helped keep me afloat when things got a bit freezed… You know, if you always liked it this much, why didn’t you gelat-me-know? You know, I like to be an active mammal, but in my past I certainly spent of time lollyhaggling…”

“Staaahhhhp…” Judy groaned, cringing from the onslaught of terrible jokes.

“Uh, oh, tired Bun is cranky Bun, as usual.”

“Niiiiicccckkkk…”

“Early bedtime tonight.”

“Staaaahhhhpppppp!”

“Why, I thought that you wanted irritating Nick back,” he teased.

“I did,” she groaned melodramatically, before having to pause for a yawn. Her mouth snapped open, stretching out as she went before she pulled it back together. There was a slight pause, before she finished off by relocating one of her ears, which had flopped over the front of her face, back to behind her. “What a foolish bunny I was.”

“Indeed, you left your ice cream right open for capture.”

“What?” she said, waking up a little from the tease. She looked down and expected to see a massive chunk missing, but only found the small divot she had made. She looked up at Nick, who shrugged.

“Just a point of advice,” he defended, eyes closed and paw going up. “Not that I’d actually do it. That’s just your overactive bunny mind hopping about.”

He received a featherweight punch in the arm for that.

“Ouch. Fox abuse.”

….

The two burst down giggling, before digging into their ice cream. It had been a long and tiring day, at the end of a long and tiring set of events. From finding out about those howlers at the theatre, until now…

…

“Was this ice cream thing getting back at me for the hustle we pulled on you at the theatre?” she asked, looking at him deviously.

“No,” he shrugged. “That was a well deserved hustle that’s got me feeling a lot better, thank you very much. I was a dumb fox back then, who you helped out.” He then paused, and put down his ice cream to face her. “I won't repay that hustle,” he said, frankly. “But I will repay that favour… Judy, is everything okay?”

She blinked a few times, her eyes drooping down on each occasion. “Yes, everything…”

“No,” he interrupted, looking at her. “Everything isn’t fine.”

“But it is…”

“Okay, Judy, first rule. Please don’t lie to me. I can tell something is up, and I’m concerned for you. Now, I know I really am not the mammal to judge and lecture you, but there’s no-one else here so you’re stuck with me.” He paused, looking at her, feeling a bit guilty as her nose twitched a few times before pushing on. She needed this. “You’re not you today, and the more I think about it, the more I notice it.”

“But it’s been a crazy day,” she justified trailing off at the end. “Lots of stuff happened…”

“Right,” he said. “It’s affected you. But how? Why? I saw your nose twitch there, so I know I’m onto something.”

Judy looked at him before slumping down, huffing as she looked away. “Right… Right… I’ll tell,” she said, before grabbing another big spoonful of ice cream. A spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down. “You remember this morning, getting in? Finding about them tracking down the howler plot?”

“Yup.”

“Well…” she began, before sighing. “You’ll probably think I’m really selfish for this,” she grumbled.

“I don’t care.”

“I thought they were wrong,” she muttered. “I  _ believed _ they were wrong. I… -I  _ wanted _ them to be wrong. It’s selfish, it meant that they, whoever they were, would have more time to pull off their plan and hurt mammals.” She kicked her foot out and grumbled. “But with all the work I did, and at the time it suddenly seemed like it was all pointless… I mean, it might still help out, I hope it does, and that makes me feel better. But… Well, I felt gutted back then, and thinking about it now, I feel like I’m… I’m…” There was a weary sigh. “A selfish glory hog.”

She paused, before jolting a little as Nick put his paw around her shoulder. “Carrots,” he said softly. “I… Well, remember the whole skunk butt rug incident?”

“Uh-hu.”

Nick looked away a little, scratching the side of his muzzle. “I worked hard to get that rug, and it was supposed to mean something, and I finally found something like what I was looking for and I was so proud. I was going to give this to Big, and Grandmama was going to rest in it, and oh boy would I be doing them proud… And then other mammals starting warning me, saying it was a fake. A phony. Not wool, but fur from the butt of a skunk. A skunk butt rug. Who were they to say that? I’d worked hard to find this rug! So I ignored it, gave the rug to Big, and almost got iced as a result.” he shivered a little before shrugging. “You got invested in your work, super invested, as nobody works harder than you…”

“I just want to make the world a better place,” she said. “And that means working harder to do it.” Despite her tiredness, her voice hardened with resolve as she said it, Nick smiling in response.

“And when you found that all your hard work would do nothing it hurt,” he said, coming in to hug her a little. “No biggie.”

…

“It’s not just that,” she said.

“I could guess.”

She nodded her head, looking at him, and her paws trembled slightly. “Seeing Fru-Fru… She’s my friend, and seeing her hurt like that... But it’s Big! Should I be hurt, should I be happy, I don’t know how I feel.”

Nick shrugged, before a grin grew across his muzzle. “To quote a friend, ‘I have mixed feelings about this.’”

Her face lit up a little. “So do I.”

“They are good words of wisdom.”

That’s Kris for you,” she smiled, only to pause, her nose beginning to twitch.

…

“Carrots?”

“He lives in the rainforest,” she said, her voice little more than a whisper.

“Edge of it, yeah…”

“The gas,” she said, her voice hoarse and tired. She hadn’t ever thought of it before, the risk he and others were at. “Those mammals, Kazar… He wanted to turn them savage,” she spoke, slowly but sadly. “Wanted to kill them all, pred and prey, and…” Her voice hitching, she closed her eyes, her paw reaching down to Kozlov’s necklace gift. That sweet young fox, after all he’d been through. She had an image catch in her mind, of a grey figure dressed in blue banging against a glass wall to get at a red fox, only to collapse to the ground choking…

Kris and Ash…

They were just kits. “-All that time spent waiting for his father to recover, all that time waiting to be reunited and coming to this city, and it would…”

She left the rest unspoken, a single tear dripping down from her eye. Nick pulled her onto his lap and held her tight with his arms, tail up and covering him as he stroked her ears. “He’d have been be in school at the edge of Savannah Central. I think his dad works at UZ. They’d be out of the way…”

“Or maybe not,” she replied. “I… When I saw what that mammal was doing, I was angry, Nick. Furious. He was trying to hurt innocent mammals, and kill them, even when he’d lost! Even when he had nothing to gain, he was going to do it anyway just to spite us. I was mad with him, just like I felt awful when I found out I’d wasted my time, and upset about Fru-Fru…”

…

“Do you feel better now?”

Blinking, realising just where she was, Judy smiled a little. “Maybe,” she said, before glancing at her ice cream. “Maybe more with that.”

Nick smiled. “Greedy bunny.”

“Dumb, caring, fox,” she replied, as they separated and she began eating, taking lazy bites out of it.

“Carrots, you’re the caring one,” he replied between bites. “So emotional. But all you want to do is make the world a better place.”

“All I can do is try, and keep trying,” she said, before breaking down into another long yawn.

“And you know, everyone is happy for you,” he said. “Everyone believes in you. You’re making the world a better place for every nice mammal out there.”

Judy nodded back, only to pause. She suddenly felt cold, colder than her ice cream, because that wasn’t true, was it? Because, however much she tried, she ended up hurting mammals.

One in particular.

The one who had come to Judy, her hero, the one she seemingly thought would always be on her side. Her hope, her rock, her paragon of truth and justice and the Zootopian way.

And Judy had repaid that faith by sticking a tranquiliser dart into her, sealing her fate and betraying her.

Those eyes, that look, that face hurt beyond belief… It had been a few days before, and they were still etched into her mind, hanging over her. Guilting and shaming her, the whole thing getting even worse when Judy remembered that she wasn’t the one truly hurt by all this.

That poor honey badger was.

Nick saw the change and tried to speak to her. She began sobbing, really not helped by how tired she felt, and she turned to face him, burying her face in her chest as she told the truth. Told him that couldn’t get the guilt out of her mind. She’d done the cruelest thing imaginable to her, all in a rush, and had just hurt another predator.

Another one who believed in her, like Nick had, back at that press conference.

Another one whose hopes and dreams and pride and everything she'd just dashed. Again. Not for the first time, and she knew it wouldn't be the last time.

“It’s what I do,” she sobbed. “I just… I just… I just go around hurting predators.”

“We brought her in together…” Nick urged.

“ _ I _ tranq’d her!”

“Fluff, she was nuts,” he sighed. “She was a risk to herself, to others…” He paused, shaking his head. “What else could you have done?”

“I could of… I could have found a way…” she said, looking up at him.

“What way?”

“I could have talked her down…”

“The cops behind us would have darted her, or she’d have raced past.”

“But, still, I…”

…

“But what?” Nick asked. Judy looked away, and he then grabbed her and pulled her close. “Judy, Judy, Judy… Always racing, always pushing, always making the world a better place.” He turned her around and booped her nose. “But sometimes you have to choose the least bad option, okay? The least bad one. And, you know what, doing that is sometimes the most heroic thing you can do.”

Recovering a little, Judy nodded her head, Nick taking the opportunity to spoon feed her some of the ice cream. It took her a few seconds after to register what had just happened. “Did you just…”

“You weren’t taking your medicine,” he scolded, earning a laugh. He smiled at it, he was getting his bun back. “Life can be cruel and mean, and you can get stuck in situations you can’t win,” he said. “But you, you’re a trier. Always have been, always will be. You’re a good mammal, Judy.”

Wiping the last of her tears away, she smiled. “Thanks,” she replied, before taking a deep breath in. “I can try and apologise to her…”

“If she lets you,” Nick reminded her. “If she doesn’t, that’s not your fault, don’t go blaming yourself.”

She nodded her head. “Okay,” she said, smiling. “Maybe… Maybe things aren’t perfect. But I can still help out.”

“That’s the spirit!”

“I can do good.”

“It’s what you do.”

“I can help Fru-Fru, I can tackle crime, I can protect Kris and his father, and all the other preds. I can keep on going.”

“Now  _ there _ ’s the Carrots I know and love,” Nick cheered, clapping his paws.

The two relaxed down, and began watching TV, the blue lights helping to keep Judy up, though her eyelids sometimes fluttered shut for a little bit. She still listened on though. She still interacted with Nick. Chatting. Catching up. As night fell, there was cheering from outside, mammals happy that the nighthowler threat was seemingly gone. “See, we did that,” Nick said.

“Yup,” Judy replied, her voice trailing out. “It’s not all gone  – there’s still work to do…”

“There may be setbacks,” Nick reminded her.

“But our little group can keep on helping. It’s what we do!”

Nick nodded and held out his paw for a fist-bumb, Judy meeting his with hers just as the banging and flashing of fireworks rang out. “Fist-bumping as an explosion goes on,” Nick smirked, “another off the bucket list.”

“Nick...” Judy began, as she turned to look at the display, firing up from the mountain levels of the Rainforest district. “I don’t think fireworks -Woah, did you see that one!”

“The dragon one?”

“Yeah the dragon one, who’s even setting them off?”

Nick shrugged. “I hear there’s a kung fu temple up there that makes their own; one of their panda masters is called The King because he’s so good with them.”

“Well,” she said, settling in to watch. “Whoever they are, they’re making the world a better place. Just like us.”

“Yup,” Nick agreed, as the pyrotechnics began showing off a mix of all sorts of mammals, and a few non-mammals, displaying all the species that lived in the city. The pair settled down to watch the display until its end. By the time it did, Nick had gotten an email from some friends and, as he read it, he smiled. “Aaaawww…”

“Huh?”

“Question,” Nick began, raising a lecturing finger as he spoke. “How cute are baby fox kits?”

Her head drooped down to the side as she tried to think of a response, finding one a bit later that she usually would have. “Criminally cute,” she said warmly, smiling as she looked up at her partner.

“Well then, looks like you’ll be having to make an arrest soon,” Nick said.

“How come?”

“It seems that Ash is going to become a big brother.”

Judy blinked a few times, before doing what Nick thought was her best Clawhauser impression. “Aaaaawwww….” she cooed, a goofy grin on her face. “That sounds great.”

Nick nodded his head. “We’re all invited to the baby shower.”

“Nice,” Judy replied, before pausing. “How does Ash feel about this?”

“I’m not sure,” Nick replied, scratching his chin. “You know what though, I might organise a catch up session with him. I’ll talk to the family.”

The two nodded in agreement, just as Judy’s phone buzzed. She turned to it, feeling a little relief from the awakening powers of its blue glow.

…

“No way.”

“What way, Carrots?”

“Jack and Skye are dating…”

Nick paused, blinking a few times, before bursting out into laughter. Full on vulpine tongue sticking out eyes squinting laughter. Judy watched him for a while, until he calmed down. “Good one,” he said.

“I’m serious,” she replied.

…

“Seriously?”

“Am I serious about being serious?” She teased. “Yes, yes I am.”

Nick paused for thought, before nodding. “Right then,” he replied. “Interesting…”

“Why?” she asked.

“It’s just that Skye really doesn’t seem like the kind of mammal who’d want much to do with a lazy, untidy, bohemian like  _ El Stripo _ …”

“Well, she obviously sees something in him,” she said. She carried on looking, and smiled further. “They’re also double dating with another pair.”

“Hmmm?” he asked, looking over. They scrolled down to a selfie, Judy cooing and Nick laughing.

“Well, there’s a pairing you don’t see every day,” he said, only to pause as he recognised one of them.

“Hey, hyena and red panda,” Judy said, shrugging. “Might have something going for it?”

“Like a red panda and an onager?” he queried.

Judy blinked, giving a sleepy ‘huh’ to Nick.

“Onager, -wild ass,” he clarified, before pointing at the red panda. “She was the one dating that tech millionaire a while back.”

Judy’s eyes widened with shock. “She is,” she said, before sighing. “You know, she looks happy, but was she forced away the tech guy because of all the abuse? Did they break up for another reason? Was some of that stuff true?” She looked down and shrugged. “I have mixed feelings.”

“I guess we’ll find out soon enough.”

“Hopefully,” she said, smiling. “But red panda and hyena seems to have something that…” she broke off for a yawn, then carried on. “Something seems right about it.”

“Maybe,” Nick replied, before trailing off. “Maybe… Just like a bunny and a fox.”

“Yup,” Judy sleepily replied, as she put her phone away.

Nick, though…

Nick had had a long hard time opening up. A long time practicing, a long time at therapy. He’d improved, greatly, be he still felt nervous. While Judy, bless her bunny heart, would jump into things and try and do her best, he was cautious. He tried to plan things out  – t ake the bigger picture into consideration, that picture including things that could go wrong.

He was a pessimist too, so he tended to blow that sort of thing out of proportion.

But.

But…

He wanted to move forwards, he really did, and Judy had opened up to him today. He’d pressed her, she’d done it, and he was always happy to follow her lead. He loved her, he just didn’t want to risk saying it.

But he didn’t want to live with it unsaid anymore.

He felt caught between a warm desire to open up about it, and the cold iron chains of caution he was used to. Holding him back, wrapping around his muzzle and throat tight. Closing his eyes, he did a little breathing exercise good old Dr Tic Tac had taught him before opening them again.

“Hey… Judy…” he spoke out, having to force the words out.

She turned to him, her heavy eyes blinking a few times. “Yes Nick?”

“About bunnies and foxes being a good match,” he said, taking a breath in.

“Yes?” she asked, curious.

“Well,” he began, finding comfort as he drifted into a tangent. “You’re my friend, my  _ best _ friend, we get on well together. We enjoy each other. We tease and we have fun, and you help to… -You bring to me what I don’t have in me, and while I think you’re a pretty awesome wonder bunny… You may have areas where I lend a helping paw…”

He realised he was looking away from her, up at the ceiling. His heart was beating, fast, and he forced his muzzle down to face her, seeing her looking out with doey eyed curiosity and wonder.

He grit his teeth, closed his eyes, and swallowed down. He could do this. “I… I think we get along great as friends… But, maybe we could try being more than that?” It was a bit of a weasel out, he knew it, and for a few seconds he felt caught in a dreadful silence.

She looked at him, the gears in her head turning and sliding into position as she realised where this was going, and then she smiled. “Yeah, why not?”

Nick’s jaw metaphorically hit the floor. It was doing its best to do it literally too, and Judy giggled at the sight of it before, leaning forwards, placing her paw on his. “I’m guessing you’re going to end up asking if you want to be in a relationship with me,” she said, shrugging. “I never really imagined it, but you know what? I don’t have anything against it. Might as well give it a whirl, and if it doesn’t work, we can still be friends after.”

…

Nick choked back a laugh, and another.

This…

This…

His body buckled with relief, and he leapt forwards, pulling Judy into a tight hug. It hadn’t ended bad! It was fine! It was better than fine! He held her tight, and though she was a bit shocked, she then snuggled into him and smiled.

“I love you Judy,” he said. Without fear. Without apprehension. Without anything. It was like the levee was broken, the muzzle gone, and what had scared him, terrified him… It was easy now. As easy as any other word, but so much better than that. “I love you, Judy,” he whispered, as he gently tapped her ear with another kiss.

Judy, meanwhile, was playing catch up. She’d thought that this was a casual ‘try it’ thing, but as she registered what her friend was doing, she realised it was more than that. Far more. “How long were you trying to say that?” she asked softly, as she felt his touch upon her.

“Oh, a really dumb long time,” he almost laughed. He then giggled. “Ages, really!” He took in a long breath and smiled. “But I can say it now. It’s feels crazy, and dumb, just like you, but I can say it…”

Judy held him tight. It didn’t take much time or much brainpower to work out that so much of his time in therapy, so many of his exercises, so much of his growth…

It was for her.

She felt a hot flush, realising just how much he must love her, and then excitement. Excitement, and wonder, and just the warmest of warm feelings that anyone would care for a bunny like her so much.

Today had been a roller coaster, and it didn’t look like it was stopping anytime soon. But here, now, she felt like she wanted to go on. There was a mammal who loved her, she couldn’t put into words how that felt, but it felt good. She cared for him as a friend, yes. She’d do her best to go beyond that though. They could date, and hang out, and her mind flicked back to the image of him from this morning. A foxer in his boxers…

She was so going to try this thing. She was going to try it as hard as she could, trying to make it work and flourish and be something great. She really cared for Nick and loved him as a friend, and she could learn to love him in a different way. She was confident she could do it, she was looking forward to doing it, the whole idea felt fantastic!

And he felt warm…

Warm, and comfy, with his shirt below her and tail over her.

The beat of his body next to her, the feeling of his breathing, his warmth…

His comfort...

Judy drifted off without knowing it, the sleep that had been snapping at her heels all afternoon claiming victory. It seemed like she was going to spend another night at Nick’s place.

Both the bunny and the fox though would end up seeing nothing wrong with that.


End file.
